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This  book  is  due  on  the  date  indicated 
below  and  is  subject  to  an  overdue  fine 
as  posted  at  the  Circulation  Desk. 


OCT  21  1970 


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MAY  2  0  1987 


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in  2009  witii  funding  from 

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THE  BEE-KEEPER'S  HANDY  BOOK ; 


Twenty-two  Years'  Experience 


QUEEN-REARING 


CONTAINING  THE  ONLY  SCIENTIFIC  AND   PRACTICAL  METHOD  OF  REARING 

QUEEN  BEES.  AND  THE  LATEST   AND    BEST    METHODS    FOR  THE 

GENERAL  MANAGEJIEXT  OF  THE  APIART. 


By  henry  alley. 

Pkactical  Apiarist. 


I  L  L  U  S  T  R  il  T  E  n 


PUBLISHED   BY   THE   AUTHOR, 

WENHAM,  MASS. 

1883. 

ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED. 


COPYRIGHT 

BY 

HENRT    ALLEY, 


Printed  at  the  Salem  Press, 

cor.  Liberty  and  Derby  Sts., 

SALEM,  MASS. 


\ 


PREFACE. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  plnce  for  me  to  give  the 
reasons  that  induced  me  to  assume  the  position  of 
author  and  give  to  the  bee-keeping  fraternity  a  work 
of  this  kind.  I  had  been  engaged  in  queen-rearing 
but  a  few  years  when  I  became  convinced  that  the 
system  then  in  vogue  was  faulty  and  that  a  much 
better  method  was  needed  and  might  be  devised. 
With  this  ol)ject  in  view  I  at  once  instituted  a  series 
of  experiments  which,  I  am  happy  to  say,  have  been 
crowned  with  success,  even  beyond  my  most  san- 
guine expectations,  and  I  am  now  able  to  present 
to  my  fellow  bee-keepers  a  system  which  is  both 
scientific  and  practical. 

After  so  many  j^ears  of  arduous  toil  and  study  in 
perfecting  this  method,  I  felt  that  it  was  no  more 
than  just  that  I  be  reasonably  remunerated  for  my 
labors  and  for  the  knowledge  that  I  had  gleaned  from 
my  long  experience  in  queen-rearing ;  consequently 
T  decided  to  publish  ni}^  method  in  book-form,  trust- 
ing to  the  hearty  response  of  the  bee-keeping  fra- 
ternity for  remuneration. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Rev.  L.  L.  Lang- 
stroth  (a  bee-master  whose  name  we  love  to  honor) 

148327 


/ 


had  intended  to  publish  a  similar  work,  but  poor 
health  and  the  loss  of  his  son  obliged  him  to  abandon 
it,  much  to  the  regret  of  his  man}'  friends  and  ad- 
mirers. 

I  need  not  state  that  this  work  was  not  intended 
as  a  literary  effort,  as  indeed  I  make  no  pretensions 
in  this  respect.  I  have  endeavored  to  present  to  my 
readers  a  work  that  will  be  beneficial  and  advan- 
tageous to  them  and  have  tried  to  avoid  all  that  is 
superfluous  or  ambiguous,  believing  that  plain,  prac- 
tical common  sense  is  far  preferable ;  and  if  it  meets 
with  general  approval  I  shall  rest  content.  I  claim 
that  my  method  of  rearing  queens  is  new  and  origi- 
nal, being  the  results  of  my  long  experience  in 
queen-rearing  and  practical  apiculture. 

In  order  that  my  readers  might  have  the  benefit 
of  the  experience  of  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
successful  apiarists  in  the  country,  I  obtained  from 
Mr.  George  W.  House,  of  Fayetteville,  N.  Y.,  an 
essay  on  the  best  method  of  managing  the  apiary  in 
order  to  obtain  the  largest  amount  of  surplus  honey, 
including  preparing  for  market  and  marketing  the 
same.  It  is  ably  written  and  instructive,  presenting 
many  new  and  original  ideas  which  are  sound,  prac- 
tical and  invaluable,  and  which  cannot  fail  to  bene- 
fit either  the  novice  or  the  expert,  if  the  directions 


given  are  carefully  put  into  practice.  Mr.  House 
seldom  fails  to  secure  a  fine  crop  of  honey  and  is  suc- 
cessful in  marketing  the  same. 

I  have  also  included  an  essay  on  the  new  races  of 
bees  from  the  pen  of  Silas  M.  Locke,  of  Salem, 
Mass.,  who,  during  the  season  of  1881,  was  employed 
by  Mr.  D.  A.  Jones,  of  Beeton,  Out.,  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  queen-rearing  department.  Mr.  Locke 
has  had  the  best  of  opportunities  to  study  the  mark- 
ings, habits  and  characteristics  of  the  new  races,  and 
his  essay  will  be  found  interesting  and  instructive, 
presenting  many  new  features  regarding  them,  and 
forming  one  of  the  best  descriptions  yet  given  to 
the  public. 

By  the  careful  study  of  this  work,  and  by  put- 
into  practice  the  directions  herein  given,  one  will 
eiqDcrience  no  difficulty  in  rearing  queens  of  a  su- 
perior quality.  Let  it  ever  be  our  aim  to  rear 
better  not  cheaj)er  queens. 

Author. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION 

Importance  of  queen-rearing  as  a  branch  of 
apiculture  ..... 


CHAPTER  I 

Selection  and  care  of  breeding-queens 
Advantage  of  using  small  hives  and  combs  foi 

breeding-queens  .... 

Combs  to  use  in  obtaining  eggs 
Foundation  for  cell-building 
Disadvantage  of  keeping  breeding  queens 

full  colonies 

Miniature  hives  for  breeding  queens 


CHAPTER  II 

Room  for  handling  bees 
What  colonies  to  select  for  cell-building 
How  to  prepare  bees  for  cell-building 
Length  of  time  to  keep  bees  queenless 
Royal  jelly  ;  how  prepared  ;  composition  of 

(vii) 


CHAPTER  III  

Cell-biiilding 

Hovv  to  have  cells  built  in  rows  ;  new  method 
How  to  prepare  the  comb  for  the  queen-cells 
How  to  fasten  the  prepared  strips  in  position 
How  to  release  the  bees  from  the  swarming  box 
Hovv  to  separate  the  drones  from  the  bees 
When  to  prepare  the  bees  for  cell-building 

CHAPTER  IV  .... 

Feed  when  forage  is  scarce 

What  to  do  with  surplus  queen-cells 

Cutting  out  queen-cells 

Queen  nursery  and  how  to  use  it 

Introducing  virgin  queens 

How  long  to  keep  a  colony  queenless  befor 

introducing  a  queen 
Another  way  to  introduce  virgin  queens 


CHAPTER  V 

The  old  and  new  methods  of  cell-building 
How  to  rear  queens  in  full  colonies  and  still 

have  none  queenless 
How  to  obtain  more  cells 
How  often  the  same  colony  may  be  used  for 

cell-building         ..... 
Destroying  drone-brood  and  worthless  drones 
Use  of  the  drone-trap 


PAGE 

12 
12 
13 
14 
17 
17 
18 
19 

20 
20 
21 
22 

24 
25 

25 
26 

27 
27 
28 
28 
29 

29 
30 
30 


IX 


How  many  queens  ought  a  colony 
How  to  rear  valuable  queens 


to  rear 


CHAPTER  VI  .... 

Hive  to  use  for  young  queens 
How  to  form  nuclei 
Where  to  place  nucleus  hives 
Why  bees  ball  and  destroy  queens 
How  to  insert  queen-cells 
The  age  at  which  queens  are  fertilized 
How  to  force  the  young  queens  to  fly 
Queens  fertilized  but  once 
How   far   to   keep  the  races   apart  to  insure 

purity 

How  to  keep  laying  queens 

Feeding  nuclei ;  why  they  sometimes  swarm 

out  .         .         .         .         . 

CHAPTER  VII  .... 

Unprofitable  breeding  queens 
Most  profitable  breeding  queens 
The  selection  of  the  drone  mother 
How  to  rear  and  preserve  drones 
How  to  judge  of  a  queen  before  testing 
Destroy  weak  and  feeble  queens 
Large  versics  small  queens 
Best  bees  for  queen-rearing 
The  Italians  not  a  distinct  race 


Rearing  queens  from  the  egg 

The  proper  time  to  commence  queen-rearing 


PAGE 

47 

48 


CHAPTER  VIII 

The  new  way  versus  the  old 

How  young  queens  manage,  when  two  or  more 

hatch  at  one  time         .... 
How  to  rear  a  few  queens         ... 
Handling  queen-cells 
Reasons  why  queens  fail  to  lay,  die  suddenly 

or  are  superseded         .... 

CHAPTER  IX  

Tested  queens  the  standard  of  excellence 
Selected  queens  .... 

Warranted  queens  .... 

Dollar  queens 

Robbing  nuclei ;  how  prevented 

Fertile  workers  .... 

CHAPTER  X  

Room  for  transferring  and  handling  bees 
What  tools  are  i^eded 
Transferring  bees  .... 

When  to  transfer  .... 

Uniting  bees 

Utility  of  uniting  bees 


48 

48 

49 
51 
52 

54 

56 
56 
58 
58 
58 
59 
61 

62 
62 
64 
65 
68 
69 
70 


PAGE 

Uniting  bees  in  swarming  time         ...  71 
When  and  how  to  remove  cells  from  a  colony 

that  has  just  cast  a  swarm            ...  71 

Proper  age  to  supersede  queens                .         .  73 


CHAPTER  XI  .... 

Spring  and  fall  feeding 

Spring  feeding         .... 

The  amount  of  food  to  give  each  d&y 

Fall  feeding  .... 

Foul  brood  .... 

How  to  detect  foul  brood 

Fire,  the  best  means  of  cure 

CHAPTER  XII  .... 

Wintering  bees       .... 
Suggestions  on  cellar  wintering 
Should  the  hives  face  north  or  south? 
Does  like  produce  like  ? 
Parthenogenesis 

CHAPTER  XIII  .... 

Keeping  bees  for  pleasure  and  profit 
Who  should  keep  bees    . 
How  to  commence  bee-keeping 
Best  location  for  an  apiar}^ 
Requisite  implements  for  the  apiary 


74 

74 

74 

76 

76 

78 

78 

80 

82 

82 

84 

85 

87 

89 

91 

91 

93 

95 

.    96 

97 

Xll 


MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  APIARY. 

by  Gf.o.  W.  House    . 
The  hive 

Spring  management 
Contract  the  brood-chamber 
Exchanging  combs 
Feeding  for  stimulating 
Comb  foundation 
Extracted  honey 
Time  for  extracting 
Separators 
Increase  of  colonies 
Unfinished  sections 
Care  of  honey 
Sulphuring     . 
Preparing  for  market     . 
Glassing 
Crates 

Grading  and  crating 
Weighing  and  marking 
Marketing 
Shipping 

Marketing  extracted  honey 
Size  of  boxes 
Cooperation 
Conclusion     . 


An  Essay 


PAGE 

NEW  RACES.     An  Essay,  by  Silas  M.  Locke  131 

Italians  first  imported              ....  131 

Italians  first  imported  into  America        .          .  132 
First  news  of  the  Cyprian  bees       .         .         .133 

Cyprians  first  imported  from  Europe      .         .  133 
Importation  of  Cyprian   and  Hoh'  Land  bees 

by  D.  A.  Jones 134 

Markings  and  characteristics  of  the  Cyprian 

bees 135 

The  Holy  Land  bees 139 

Markings  and  characteristics  of  the  Hoh*  Land 

bees             .......  140 

Apis  dorsata            ......  142 

Characteristics  and  markings  of  the  Apis  dor- 
sata                143 

Hungarian  bees  .         .         .         .         .144 

The  coming  bee                145 

The  necessary  qualities  of  the  coming  bee       .  146 
The  Hoi}'  Lands  the  foundation  of  the  coming 

bee               .......  147 

How  shall  we  develop  the  coming  bee?             .  149 

GENERAL  REMARKS 153 

Observatory  hive,    a    source  of  pleasure  and 

profit 153 

Shi[»ping  bees  b\'  mail  .  .         .         .156 

New  way  to  test  queens  .         .         .         .160 

Clipping  queens'  wings  and  swarming  .       161 


PAGE 

How  to  prevent  swarming       .         .         .         .162 

Handling  new  swarms  ;  hiving,  etc 

162 

Use  of  tobacco 

164 

In-and-in  breeding 

165 

Bee  pasturage 

166 

Honey-producing  trees 

168 

The  basswood 

168 

The  horse-chestnut 

169 

Bokhara 

169 

Alsyke  clover 

169 

White  alder 

170 

DESCRIPTION  OF  FIGURES 

173 

Double-walled  hives 

173 

Queen-rearing  hives 

176 

Miniature  or  fertilizing  hives 

178 

Cone  feeder 

179 

Locke's  feeder 

179 

Swarming  box 

181 

Queen  nursery 

181 

Introducing  cage 

182 

New  way  of  having  cells  built 

188 

XV 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Fertilizing  or  miniature  hive 

Swarming  box 

Comb  containing  eggs 

Strip  of  comb  on  which  cells  are  to  be  built 

Comb  containing  eggs  in  alternate  cells 

New  way  of  having  cells  built 

Old  way  of  having  cells  built 

F;uit-jar  feeder     .... 

Queen  nursery       .... 

Nursery  cage         .... 

Introducing  cage 

Screen  used  for  ventilation 

Cone  feeder  .... 

Cell  from  which  a  strong  queen  hatched 

Shipping  cage        .... 

Whitman's  fountain  pump 

Double-walled  hive,  outer  case 

Double-walled  hive,  inner  case 

Queen-rearing  hive 

Locke's  feeder        .... 


PAGE 

4 

8 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

20 

23 

24 

26 

34 

37 

43 

158 

163 

174 

175 

177 

180 


INTRODUCTION. 


THE    IMPOETANCE    OF     QUEEN-EEARING    AS    A    BRANCH 
OF   APICULTURE. 

TS\'ENTr-FiVE  years  ago  I  purchased  my  first  colony 
of  bees,  and  with  that  event  began  my  interest  in 
apiculture.  My  colony,  being  in  a  box  hive,  I  trans- 
ferred to  frames,  and  commenced  to  rear  queens 
and  to  experiment  generally  with  bees.  In  the  course 
of  a  few  years,  upon  the  introduction  of  the  Italian 
bee  to  this  country,  there  came  a  large  and  increasing 
demand  for  bees  of  this  race. 

Many  bee-keepers  began  to  rear  queens  and  to  ofier 
bees  and  supplies  for  the  apiary  for  sale,  a  large  num- 
ber of  whom  soon  failed  for  want  of  patronage,  or  were 
compelled  to  abandon  the  business  on  account  of  the 
cheap  queen  traffic.  Of  all  who  as  late  as  ten  years 
ago  were  engaged  in  this  branch  of  the  business,  I 
can  call  to  mind  but  one  beside  myself.  Few  have 
made  queen-rearing  and  the  supply  trade  a  success. 

Shortly  after  the  introduction  of  the  Italian  bee, 
the  "American  Bee  Journal"  sprang  into  existence, 
and  simultaneous  with  its  appearance  began  one  of  the 
most  important  industries  of  the  age,  viz.  ;  practical 
apiculture.  At  this  early  stage  of  its  history,  queen- 
rearing  was  in  its  infancy,  while  but  few  bee-keepers 
had  any  practical  knowledge  of  this  interesting  and 
1  (1) 


vastly  important  branch  of  the  business,  and  appar- 
ently very  little  advancement  has  been  made  up  to 
the  present  time  as  compared  with  the  other  branches 
of  apiculture. 

After  a  thorough  examination  of  the  latest  works 
on  the  subject,  and  a  careful  study  of  all  the  various 
Bee  Journals,  I  find  only  the  old  methods  taught 
which  were  in  use  many  years  ago.  Hence  the  bee- 
keeping public  continue  to  rear  queens  in  the  old  way, 
the  result  being  that  a  vast  number  of  inferior  and 
even  worthless  queens  are  put  upon  the  market  every 
season. 

The  present  and  future  interests  of  apiculture 
demand  a  more  thorough  and  practical  method  of 
rearing  queens,  and  I  shall  endeavor  in  this  work  to 
give  my  readers  such  information  as  shall  tend  to 
give  a  new  impetus  to  this  branch  of  bee-keeping, 
and  also  aid,  if  possible,  in  doing  away  with  the  cheap 
and  worthless  queens  produced  under  the  lamp  nursery 
system ;  and  to  otter  to  the  bee-keeping  public,  for 
their  careful  consideration  and  adoption,  a  thorough, 
practical  and  scientific  method  of  queen-rearing,  which 
is  the  result  of  many  long  years  of  practical  experi- 
ence, and  much  hard  study. 

In  order  to  become  a  successful  instructor  one  must 
first  attain  a  complete  knowledge  of  the  subject  to 
be  taught,  and  unless  it  has  been  thoroughly'  and 
fully  mastered  in  all  its  details,  failures  only  can 
result. 

In  presenting  this  work  to  the  bee-keeping  frater- 
nity, I  do  not  wish  to  assume  the  position  ot  teacher, 


but  rather  to  place  before  its  readers  in  as  plain  and 
practical  a  manner  as  possible  my  method  of  rearing 
queens,  leaving  to  their  judgment  the  careful  study, 
and  candid  criticism  of  its  contents,  feeling  assured 
of  a  fiivorable  decision  regarding  its  merits  and 
value  ;  knowing  that  if  its  iustructions  are  carefully 
studied  in  all  their  details,  and  put  to  a  practical  test, 
the  result  will  be  successful.  By  careful  attention  to 
all  the  rules  laid  down  herein,  I  hope  better  queens 
will  be  produced,  a  matter  of  great  importance  to  the 
bee-keeper  whether  he  keeps  bees  for  pleasure  or 
profit ;  and  of  vastly  more  importance  to  the  bee- 
master  who  follows  it  as  a  vocation  and  depends  upon 
the  same  for  a  livinsf. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    SELECTION    AND    CARE    OF    BREEDING    QUEENS. 

All  bee-masters  know  the  importance  of  having  a 
strong,  vigorous  and  healthy  queen  for  the  mother 
bee  ;  hence  it  will  be  admitted  that  all  queens  used  for 
this  purpose  should  be  carefully  selected,  perfect  in 
every  respect,  and  of  undoubted  purity  and  prolific- 
ness.  The  particular  strains  from  which  we  wish  to 
breed  should  be  thoroughly  tested,  to  determine  their 
qualities  regarding  purity,  gentleness,  honey-gather- 
ing, and  wintering.  This  is  very  important  and  es- 
sential as  some  do  not  combine  all  the  very  desirable 
requisites  above  mentioned,  and  I  would  lay  it  down 
as  a  rule  to  breed  only  from  such. 

D.  H.  HILL  LIBRARY 
North  Carolina  State  College 


THE  ADVANTAGE  OF  USING  SMALL  HIVES  AND  COMBS 
FOR  THE  BREEDING  QUEENS. 

If  a  large  number  of  queens  are  to  be  reared,  the 
mother  queens  should  not  be  kept  in  full  colonies,  as 
the  risk  of  killing  them  in  securing  eggs  for  cell- 
building  is  too  great,  and  many  valuable  queens  are 
lost  in  this  way.  To  guard  against  such  loss  my  breed- 
ing queens  are  kept  in  miniature  hives  (fig.  1). 
The  queen  being  more  easily  and  speedily  found 
on  small  combs,  there  is  much  less  risk  of  injuring 
her,  and  there  will  be  eggs  enough  in  one  of  them  at 
any  time  to  start  fifty  or  more  cells. 


Fig.  1.    Fertilizing  or  miniature  hive. 
COMBS   TO   USE    IN   OBTAINING   EGGS. 

In  selecting  the  combs  for  the  queen  to  lay  in,  to 
be  used  expressly  for  cell-building,  take  only  such  as 
are  nearly  new  or  that  have  been  made  use  of  for 
brood  but  once  or  twice.  I  do  not  use  the  combs  in 
standard  frames  for  this  purpose,  as  in  the  course  of 


the  season  a  large  number  of  nice  brood-combs  would 
be  either  badly  mutilated  or  destroyed  iu  so  doing. 
Small  pieces  of  comb  the  size  of  the  nucleus  frame, 
described  in  another  place,  are  generally  at  hand  and 
far  preferable  to  larger  combs.  One  standard  Lang- 
stroth  frame  of  comb  will  fill  four  or  five  of  such  small 
nucleus  frames. 

FOUNDATION   FOR   CELL-BUILDING. 

It  would  be  a  good  plan  to  fill  frames  with  founda- 
tion, have  it  worked  out  in  full  colonies,  and  used  for 
brood  once  or  twice,  then  cut  up  and  fastened  into 
the  small  frames.  I  have  found  foundation  very 
good  for  starting  cells,  even  when  it  had  not  been 
used  for  brood  at  all ;  but  care  should  be  taken  that 
the  cells  on  both  sides  are  drawn  out  to  nearly  the 
proper  depth.  These  combs,  when  used  to  obtain 
eggs  for  cell-building,  will  be  filled  so  that  they  can 
be  removed  as  often  as  once  every  twenty-four  hours. 
They  should  be  properly  numbered  and  dated  for 
future  use  as  wanted  ;  the  other  four  combs  in  the 
miniature  hive  being  used  for  storing  honey  and 
brood  to  keep  the  colony  prosperous  in  young  bees. 
A  good  prolific  queen  will  fill  this  small  comb  in. 
less  than  twenty-four  hours,  but  it  is  better  to  let  it 
remain  that  length  of  time.  The  advantage  of  using 
such  small  hives  will  be  seen  at  a  glance,  as  it  will  not 
be  necessary  to  open  a  full  colony  every  time  eggs  are 
needed  from  which  to  start  cells.  Again,  the  exact 
age  of  all  eggs  is  easily  and  exactly  determined,  and 


6 

the  apiarist  may  tell  at  any  time  just  when  to  prepare 
his  bees  for  cell-building ;  the  time  when  the  queens 
will  hatch  from  the  cells  may  also  be  determined 
within  a  few  hours.  This  is  a  matter  of  great  im- 
portance ;  saving  as  it  does,  much  time,  labor  and 
anxiety,  as  well  as  for  other  reasons  which  any  intel- 
ligent bee-keeper  will  readily  comprehend. 

THE     DISADVANTAGE    OF    KEEPING    BREEDING    QUEENS 
IN    FULL    COLONIES. 

It  may  be  convenient  for  those  who  wish  to  rear  a 
few  queens  to  open  a  full  colony  for  eggs,  but  as  they 
can  seldom  be  found  of  the  right  age  in  sufficient 
quantities  to  start  a  large  number  of  cells  at  an}^  one 
time,  the  former  plan  is  much  to  be  preferred  by 
large  breeders. 

By  placing  a  comb,  selected  for  the  purpose,  in 
the  centre  of  the  brood-chamber  of  a  full  colony, 
we  can  sometimes  find  eggs  which  are  suitable  for  the 
purpose,  on  the  fourth  day  after,  which  should  in- 
variably be  used  on  that  day  for  cell-building.  Some- 
times the  bees  will  not  allow  the  queen  to  use  such 
combs  in  which  to  deposit  her  eggs  for  several  days, 
as  perhaps  breeding  is  not  going  on  vigorously',  and 
the  queen  may  not  reach  the  empty  comb  for  one  or 
two  days  after  it  is  placed  in  the  brood-chamber ; 
consequently  the  hive  would  have  to  be  opened  often 
to  ascertain  this  fact.  Under  such  circumstances, 
queen-rearing  cannot  be  carried  on  as  systematically 
and  successfully  as  by  the  miniature  hive  system. 


MINIATURE    HIVES   FOR   BREEDING   QUEENS. 

A  colony  in  such  a  hive  can  always  be  depended 
upon  for  eggs  at  any  time  for  cell-building.  I  find 
that  a  comb  put  in  at  night  will  be  filled  with  eggs 
the  next  day.  Then  it  may  be  removed  and  another 
inserted  in  its  place.  Once  in  twenty-four  hours  is 
often  enough  to  change  them.  By  this  plan  one  queen 
will  furnish  eggs  sufficient  to  rear  10,000  queens  in  the 
course  of  one  season.  The  above  plain  and  simple 
rules  are  the  first  steps  which  should  be  taken  and  put 
into  practice  systematically,  if  one  wishes  to  rear  first- 
class  queens,  and  make  the  business  successful  and 
remunerative. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ROOM    FOR   HANDLING   BEES  ;    WHAT   COLONIES    TO 
SELECT   FOR    CELL-BUILDING  ;    HOW   TO   PRE- 
PARE   THE   BEES   FOR   THIS    PURPOSE. 

Every  bee-keeper  should  have  a  room  specially 
adapted  for  the  purpose  of  handling  bees,  as  many 
of  the  operations  about  the  apiary  cannot  at  all  times 
be  carried  on  in  the  open  air,  especially  in  wet  and 
cool  weather. 

In  fact,  most  of  the  work  about  preparing  bees  for 
cell-building  can  be  performed  only  in  a  convenient 
and  handy  place.  In  view* of  this  I  have,  in  another 
place,  given  a  description  of  such  a  room. 


8 

Always  select  the  strongest  colonies  for  cell-build- 
ing, and  never  the  weak  or  feeble  ones,  as  such  would 
not  rear  strong  and  hardy  queens.  You  may  perchance 
have  some  strong  colonies  in  the  apiary,  having 
queens  which  you  wish  to  supersede  ;  colonies  having 
old,  uneven  or  crooked  combs ;  odd-sized  frames,  or 
those  in  box  hives.  These  may  be  used  to  good  ad- 
vantage ;  thus  ridding  the  apiary  of  such  undesirable 
stocks,  and  should  be  selected  in  preference  to  those 


Swarming  box. 


in  good  hives  and  in  fine  working  condition.  The 
combs  can  be  transferred  to  other  frames,  and  the 
brood  given  to  weak  colonies.  Having  made  your 
selection,  take  them  into  the  bee  room,  give  the  bees 
a  few  puffs  of  smoke  to  cause  them  to  fill  with  honey 
and  remove  the  combs,  examining  them  carefuUv 
to  find  the  queen ;  after  caging  her,  brush  all  the 
bees  into  a  box, —  a  Langstroth  hive  cap  will  answer 
every  purpose.       If  the  bees  should  attempt  to  crawl 


out  blow  a  little  tobacco  smoke  on  them,  and  they 
■will  remain  quiet.  The  bees  should  now  be  put  into 
another  box,  say  one  that  Avill  hold  three  pecks,  the 
top  and  bottom  of  which  should  be  covered  with  wire 
cloth  (fig.  2,  description  farther  on),  in  order  to  give 
the  bees  plenty  of  air.  The  top  or  cover  of  this  box 
may  be  secured  by  Van  Dusen  clamps  or  some  other 
simple  arrangement.  I  use  four  screws  for  this  pur- 
pose, but  seldom  fasten  the  top  on  unless  the  box  is 
to  be  transported  some  distance. 

THE  LENGTH  OF  TIME  TO  KEEP  THE  BEES  QUEENLES8. 

The  bees  should  be  kept  in  this  box  at  least  ten 
hours.  Soon  after  being  put  into  it  they  will  miss 
their  queen,  and  keep  up  an  uproar  until  released. 
This  prepares  them  for  cell-building.  I  find  it  a  good 
plan  to  keep  them  in  a  cool,  dark  room,  or  cellar, 
until  needed,  as  they  will  keep  more  quiet  and  there 
is  less  danger  from  suffocation.  If  the  bees  were 
properly  drummed  before  being  removed  from  the 
hive,  they  have  filled  themselves  with  honey  sufiicient 
to  last  during  the  time  that  they  are  kept  confined  in 
the  box  ;  but  to  guard  against  starvation,  which  might 
occur,  as  the  bees  do  not  in  all  such  instances  fill 
themselves  readily,  I  give  them  a  pint  of  syrup  in 
the  glass  feeder  (fig.  8,  described  farther  on).  The 
bees  must  be  kept  queenless  for  from  ten  to  twelve 
hours,  else  the  es^s  jriven  them  for  cell-building  will 
be  destroyed.  This  I  have  learned  from  practical 
experience. 


10 

ROYAL   JELLY  ;    HOW   PREPARED ;    COMPOSITION   OF. 

When  eggs  are  given  too  soon  after  the  bees  are 
made  queenless,  they  are  very  apt  to  remove  or  de- 
stroy them.  This,  however,  is  not  the  case  when 
larvoeare  provided  instead.  I  have  had  some  experi- 
ence in  keeping  pigeons  as  well  as  bees,  and  have 
noticed  that  there  is  a  natural  food  or  chyle  (white, 
milky  and  very  nourishing)  secreted  in  the  crop  of  the 
hen,  with  which  to  feed  the  young  and  tender  birds 
daring  the  early  stage  of  their  development.  Reason 
and  experience  teach  me  that  the  same  rule  applies 
equally  well  to  bees,  and  that  when  made  queenless 
and  confined  in  the  swarming  box  they  prepare  or 
secrete  the  white,  milky  food,  which  we  find  in  the 
bottoms  of  the  cells  around  the  eggs  given  them  for 
rearing  queens,  and  which  is  of  the  same  nature  as 
the  royal  jelly  upon  which  the  young  queens  feed 
while  confined  to  the  cell ;  also  that  it  is  necessary 
that  they  be  kept  queenless  until  instinct  impels 
them  to  make  this  important  preparation  for  cell- 
building. 

In  support  of  the  above  I  would  say,  first,  that  this 
secretion  is  found  in  all  animal  bodies  (under  certain 
circumstances)  for  this  purpose  ;  second,  that  the  hen 
pigeon  is  incapable  of  secreting  this  food  until  about 
the  fourteenth  day  of  incubation,  showing  that  the 
secretion  is  not  made  until  needed,  and  lastly,  the 
fact  that  bees,  after  being  kept  queenless  ten  or  twelve 
hours,  and  then  given  the  prepared  eggs,  will  place 
this  food  in  the  bottom  of  the  cells  within  an  hour, 


11 

goino:  to  work  contentedly,  knowing  that  the}''  have 
means  to  produce  other  queens,  and  showing  no  fur- 
ther symptoms  ot  queenlessness. 

Again,  the  amount  of  jelly-food  furnished  a  larva 
from  which  a  queen  is  to  be  reared  is  mu(!h  greater 
than  that  from  which  a  worker  is  produced,  and 
the  composition  of  each  is  entirely  different.  It 
may  not  be  generally  known  that  a  colony  de- 
prived of  its  queen  almost  invariably  selects  a  larva 
which  is  usually  over  twenty-four  hours,  and  fre- 
quently from  two  to  three  days  old,  instead  of  an  egg 
from  which  to  rear  another.  Such  queens  must  necessa- 
rily be  "short-lived"  as  they  are  not  reared  in  accord- 
ance with  natural  laws.  Otherwise,  so  far  as  known, 
they  follow  nature.  Every  queen  cell  should  be  so 
abundantly  supplied  with  royal  jelly  that  after  the 
queens  have  hatched  there  will  be  more  or  less  left  in 
the  cells.  This  is  the  case  with  the  best  cells  pro- 
duced by  the  bees  under  the  swarming  impulse,  and 
I  claim  that  just  as  good  cells  can  be  produced  by 
the  method  which  I  have  instituted.  Quite  a  distin- 
ouished  writer  made  the  statement  some  time  ag:o  in 
one  of  the  bee  journals  that  "artificial  (or  forced) 
queens  left  no  jelly  in  the  bottoms  of  the  cells."  He 
evidently  jumped  at  this  conclusion  without  thorough- 
ly testing  the  matter.  I  admit  that  as  artificial  queens 
are  generally  reared,  this  will  be  the  result,  but  when 
the  reader  has  become  thoroughly  conversant  with  the 
directions  given  in  this  book,  and  has  carefully  put 
them  into  practice,  he  can  produce  those  that  show  a 


12 

goodly  amount  of  jelly  in  the  bottom  of  every  cell 
from  which  a  queen  has  hatched. 


CHAPTER  III. 

CELL-BUILDING. 

Everything  being  now  in  readiness  for  cell-building, 
we  go  to  the  hive  in  which  the  breeding  queen  is 
kept  and  take  from  it  the  middle  comb,  placed  there 
four  days  previous.  We  shall  find  in  the  bottom 
of  the  cells,  if  examined  closely,  a  white,  shiny 
substance.  This  is  the  just-hatched  egg.  Unless  a 
powerful  glass  is  used  we  shall  be  hardly  able  to  see 
the  small  grub  at  this  early  stage  of  development. 


92SSSSSSiSSSm 


[•>2S»XC€<€«»>] 


Fia.  3.    Comb  containing  eggs. 

We  now  take  this  comb  into  the  bee-room  which  has 
been  warmed  to  prevent  the  eggs  from  being  chilled. 
Cut  it  into  strips  with  a  thin,  sharp  knife  (an  old-fash- 
ioned table  knife  ground  thin  answers  the  purpose), 
running  the   knife   through  each   alternate    row   of 


13 


cells  as  seen  in  fig.  3.^  After  the  comb  has  been 
cut  up,  lay  the  strips  flat  upon  a  board  or  table,  and 
cut  the  cells  on  one  side  down  to  within  one-fourth 
of  an  inch  of  the  foundation  or  septum,  as  seen  in  fig. 
4.^  A  very  thin,  sharp  and  warm  knife  must  be  used, 
or  the  cells  will  be  badly  jammed  and  mangled. 
While  engaged  in  this  work  I  keep  a  lighted  lamp 
near  at  hand  with  which  to  heat  the  knife,  as  a  delicate 
operation  of  this  kind  cannot  be  performed  well  with 
a  cold  tool,  nor  so  quickly. 


m 

Fig.  4.    strip  of  comb  on  which  cells  are  to  be  built. 


HOW  TO  HAVE  CELLS  BUILT  IN  ROWS  ;  THE  NEW 
METHOD. 

Now  we  come  to  a  process  which  I  have  for  many 
years  been  trying  to  eftect,  and  its  discovery  has  proved 
invaluable  to  me.  In  truth,  I  would  have  paid 
one  hundred  dollars  at  any  time  during  the  first  sixteen 
years  of  my  experience  for  a  knowledge  of  this  fact. 


'  Fig.  3  represents  a  piece  of  comb  containing  eggs,  with  lines  running 
through  each  alternate  row  of  cells,  and  showing  the  manner  in  which  the 
comb  should  be  stripped  up  for  cell-building.  This  piece  of  comb  was 
also  photographed,  and  is  about  one-half  the  natural  size. 

2  Fig.  4  represents  a  sectional  view  of  one  of  the  prepared  strips  as 
cut  from  fig.  3,  and  ready  to  place  in  position  for  cell-building. 


14 

I  never  was  troubled  in  getting  all  the  cells  which 
I  needed  built  in  the  old  way,  but  to  have  them  so 
evenly  spaced  that  each  could  be  cut  out  without 
injuring  or  destroying  its  neighboring  cell,  puzzled 
me  for  many  years  ;  by  persistent  thought,  persevering 
labor  and  experiment,  however,  the  matter  was  at  last 
settled  satisfactorily.  This  one  fact  alone  is  worth 
one  hundred  dollars  to  any  queen-dealer,  and  ten  times 
the  cost  of  this  book  to  any  bee-keeper,  even  though 
they  rear  but  few  queens ;  and  I  feel  assured  that  all 
my  readers  will  admit  this  when  they  have  tested  it. 


now  TO  PREPARE  THE  COMB  FOR  THE  QUEEN  CELLS. 

The  strips  of  comb  being  all  ready,  we  simply  de- 
stroy each  alternate  grub  or  egg,  as  seen  in  fig.  5.^  In 
order  to  do  this,  take  the  strips  carefully  in  the  left 
hand  and  insert  with  the  riofht  the  brimstone  end  of  a 


Fig.  5.    Comb  containing  eggs  in  alternate  cells. 

common  lucifer  match  into  each  alternate  cell,  press- 
ing gentl}^  until  it  touches  the  bottom,  and  then  twirl 
it  rapidly  between  the  thumb  and  finger;  by  this 
means  the  egg  or  grub  will  be  destroyed.  This  gives 
plenty  of  room  for  large  cells  to  be  built,  and  the 


s  Fig.  5  represents  the  prepared  strips  with  the  egg  removed  from  each 
alternate  cell. 


15 

bees  to  work  around  them  and  also  permits  of  their 
being  cut  out  without  injury  to  adjoining  cells,  fig.  6* 
(a  full    description  of  which  is  given    elsewhere). 


Fig.  6.    The  new  way  of  baving  cells  built. 

All  queen-dealers  know  that  this  cannot  be  done  Mhen 
the  cells  are  built  bv  the  old  method  as  shown  in 


*  This  cut  represents  one  of  the  frames  used  in  my  fertilizing  hives, 
one-half  of  the  comb  being  cut  out  to  make  room  for  the  queen-cells.  A  A 
represents  the  strip  of  comb  containing  the  eggs  (on  which  the  cells  are 
built)  lastened  to  the  comb.  The  frame  was  photographed  (as  shown  in  cut) 
smaller  than  its  natural  size.  The  cells  are  exactly  ;i8  the  bees  build  them 
bv  my  new  method. 


16 

fig.  7.^  I  think  I  hear  some  "doubting  Thomas" 
say,  How  will  you  place  or  secure  this  slender 
strip  of  coml)  in  a  frame  so  as  to  prevent  its  falling 
down?  I  would  reply,  have  at  hand  a  sheet  iron  pan 
about  six  inches  long,  three  inches  wide,  and  three 
inches  deep,  being  rather  larger  at  the  top  than  bottom 
(or  any  other  sort  of  iron  vessel  that  will  hold  hot 


Fig.  7.    The  old  way  of  having  cells  built. 

beeswax  and  rosin)  and  so  arranged  that  you  can 
place  a  lamp  under  it  to  heat  it.  Keep  in  this  pan  a 
mixture  of  two  parts  rosin  and  one  part  beeswax. 
Heat  this  enough  to  work  well,  being  very  careful 
not  to  overheat  it,  as  it  will  destro}'  the  eggs  in  the 
cells  if  used  too  hot,  and  if  too  cold  it  will  not  adhere 
properly  ;  the  right  degree  of  heat  will  soon  be  learned 


"  Represents  a  cluster  of  cells  built  by  the  old  method ;  a  piece  of  comb 
containing  eprgs  was  inserted  and  as  none  ot  tlie  eggs  were  destroyed  the 
bees  built  cells  in  clusters  as  shown  by  this  cut.  The  cluster  shows  five 
cells  three  of  which  may  be  saved  by  transferring. 


17 

by  practice.  I  keep  on  hand  a  number  of  frames  of 
comb  which  are  free  from  l^rood  or  eggs,  into  which 
the  prepared  strips  a  a  are  fastened,  as  shown  in 
fig.  6,  page  15.  You  will  notice  that  this  comb 
is  cut  with  a  slightly  convex  curve.  By  putting 
the  prepared  strips  in  after  this  manner,  still  more 
room  is  given  to  each  cell  owing  to  the  spreading 
caused  thereby. 

HOW    TO  FASTEN    THE    PREPARED    STRIPS  IN    POSITION. 

To  fasten  these  strips,  dip  the  edge  which  has  not 
been  cut  into  the  preparation  previously  mentioned, 
and  immediately  place  it  in  position,  so  that  the 
mouths  of  the  cells  point  downward,  pressing  it  with 
the  fingers  gently  into  place,  taking  care  not  to 
crush  or  injure  the  cells  in  so  doing.  A  number  of 
such  combs,  say  eight  or  ten,  and  more  if  necessary, 
should  be  kept  on  hand  for  this  purpose  and  used 
as  often  as  cells  are  needed.  This  is  a  great  con- 
venience and  saves  destroying  or  mutilating  other 
combs.  When  the  cells  are  cut  out,  the  strip  on 
which  they  are  built  should  be  taken  with  them. 

HOW   TO   RELEASE    THE   BEES   FROM    THE    SWARMING 
BOX. 

Everything  is  now  ready  for  the  queenless  bees  in 
the  box,  impatient  to  be  released  and  anxious  to  com- 
mence cell-building.      This  box  has  a  strip  of    tin 
nailed  on  the  upper  edge  of  one  end  flush  with  the 
2 


18 

outside ;  the  cover  has  a  similar  strip  nailed  on  the 
under  side,  which  corresponds  with  the  one  on  the 
box  when  in  place,  fig.  2.  (See  description  at  end 
of  volume). 

The  combs  containing  the  brood  prepared  for  cell- 
building  are  now  placed  in  the  nucleus  hive  with  other 
combs  suflacient  to  fill  it.  Place  this  nucleus  on  the 
stand  from  which  the  bees  were  taken,  and  at  such 
an  elevation  that  the  bottom  edge  of  the  alio;hting 
board  will  come  just  even  with  the  top  of  the  box  in 
which  the  bees  are  confined.  Next  let  the  bees  out 
by  drawing  the  cover  back  just  enough  to  allow  the 
worker  bees  to  pass  between  the  strips  of  tin  into 
the  hive. 


HOW  TO  SEPARATE  THE  DRONES  FROM  THE  BEES. 

If  there  are  drones  with  the  bees  either  black  or 
otherwise  objectionable,  they  will  be  retained  in  the 
box  and  can  be  easily  destroyed,  after  the  bees  have 
all  left.  In  case  the  drones  are  needed  (or  if  there 
are  none  with  the  bees  which  is  often  the  case) ,  all 
may  be  turned  out  in  front  of  the  nucleus,  when  they 
will  soon  run  in ;  this  being  on  the  old  stand  they 
will  accept  it  as  their  home  and  begin  cell-building 
at  once  from  the  eggs  given  them.  In  no  case 
should  any  worker  brood  be  given  to  the  bees,  thus 
compelling  them  to  concentrate  their  whole  forces  on 
cell-building.  Some  capped  drone-brood  should  be 
given  them,  if  at  hand,  as  it  would  greatly  encourage 
the  bees,  and  is  really  an  advantage. 


19 

WHEN  TO  PREPARE  THE  BEES  FOR  CELL-BUILDING. 

I  usually  prepare  the  bees  in  the  morning  for  queen- 
rearing,  and  give  them  the  eggs  at  night.  By  the 
next  morning  they  will  usually  become  reconciled  to 
the  new  state  of  things  and  from  twenty  to  twenty- 
five  queen  cells  will  be  started  ;  this  of  course  depends 
upon  the  number  of  eggs  given  them.  Just  here  let 
me  caution  all  queen-breeders  against  giving  the  bees 
too  many  eggs,  or  allowing  them  to  build  too  many 
cells  at  one  time.  If  not  permitted  to  complete 
over  twelve  cells,  the  queens  will  be  found  as  good 
as,  if  not  superior  to,  those  reared  under  the  swarm- 
ing impulse.  If  you  wish  to  rear  queens  of  which 
you  and  your  customers  will  be  proud,  you  will 
find  the  secret  is  in  not  allowing  any  colony  to 
build  more  than  this  number.  If  this  precaution 
is  taken,  good  queens  will  be  the  rule  and  not 
the  exception.  Of  course,  to  accomplish  this  your 
breeding  queens  must  in  all  cases  be  as  near  perfect  as 
possible,  other  things  being  equal.  We  seldom  find 
more  than  twelve  first-class  cells,  and  often  a  less 
number,  in  a  colony  which  has  just  cast  a  swarm,  the 
Cyprians  and  Holylands  being  exceptions.  The 
queens  of  these  races  are  very  prolific  and  hardy, 
consequently  they  rear  a  much  larger  number.® 

Now  we  have  everything  in  good  order  and  condi- 
tion, and  cell-building  is  progressing  satisfactorily, 
except  perhaps  too  many  cells  are  being  built  for  the 

8  This  point  is  further  described  under  another  heading. 


20 


quantity  of  bees  in  the  colony.  If  such  be  the  case, 
and  it  does  sometimes  so  happen,  all  over  twelve  or  fif- 
teen should  be  destroyed.  This  may  be  done  by  means 
of  a  match,  as  before  stated.  Sometimes,  in  the  hurry 
of  preparation,  an  egg  is  passed  by  and  not  destroyed, 
but  if  the  work  in  the  first  place  is  properly  and 
thoroughly  done  no  trouble  of  this  kind  need  be  ap- 
prehended. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


FEED  WHEN  FORAGE  IS  SCARCE. 

If  the  honey  harvest  is  abundant  during  the  period 
of  cell-building  little  care  is  needed  until  the  cells 
are  about  ready  to  be  cut  out,  but  if  not  the  nuclei 
will  need  liberal  feeding  (say  one  pint 
of  syrup  each  night  and  morning)  to 
stimulate  them  properly.  In  such  cases, 
feeding  should  certainly  be  resorted  to 
or  inferior  queens  will  be  the  result. 
For  this  purpose  I  never  have  seen  a 
feeder  so  convenient  and  so  good  as 
one  constructed  as  follows  :  take  either 
a  quart  or  pint  improved  Mason's 
fruit  jar,  fig.  8,  remove  the  glass  top 
and  substitute  a  tin  one  in  its  place,  cutting  the 
tin  the  exact  size  of  the  glass  top  and  punch  about 
twenty   small   holes   therein    for    the    food    to   pass 


21 

through.  Bore  an  inch  and  a  half  hole  in  the  cover  of 
the  nucleus,  and  place  the  jar  bottom  upward  over  it. 
There  should  be  a  space  of  one-half  an  inch  between 
the  jar  and  the  top  of  the  frames  so  that  the  bees  can 
get  at  the  food  readily.  The  bees  will  take  a  pint  of 
food  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  hours,  if  there  are 
twenty  or  more  holes  for  it  to  pass  through.  For  slow 
feeding  make  about  six  holes.  If  honey  is  scarce,  use 
granulated  sugar  and  water,  say  live  pints  of  water 
to  six  pounds  of  sugar,  and  mix  either  hot  or  cold  ; 
make  a  fairl}'  thick  syrup.  When  thoroughly  dis- 
solved, flavor  with  a  little  pure  honey.  Do  not  use 
glucose  or  grape  sugar  under  any  consideration. 


AVHAT  TO  DO  WITH  SURPLUS  QUEEN-CELLS. 

At  this  point  we  will  consider  that  the  bees  have 
been  at  work  four  days  on  the  cells,  and  that  they 
are  sealed  over  or  nearly  so.  If  desirable  they  may 
be  left  seven  days  longer  where  they  are,  and  then 
cut  out  and  either  placed  in  nuclei  or  put  in  the 
queen  nursery  to  hatch. 

Where  queens  are  reared  on  a  large  scale,  the  combs 
containing  the  cells  just  sealed  may  be  taken  from  a 
number  of  nucleus  colonies  and  given  to  one,  as  one 
colony  can  take  care  of  one  hundred  cells  as  well  as 
a  smaller  number.  Care  should  be  taken  to  have  a 
colony  on  hand  prepared  to  care  for  such  surplus  cells 
until  it  is  safe  to  remove  or  cut  them  out. 

It  will  be  necessary  to  give  such  colony  a  frame  of 


22 

brood  occasionally,  to  keep  it  well  stocked  with  bees. 
These  combs  should  be  examined  at  least  once  a  week 
in  order  that  no  queen-cells  are  built,  as  a  queen  might 
hatch  out  some  day  very  unexpectedly  and  destroy  all 
the  cells  in  the  hive.  You  will  remember  that  each 
frame  containing  cells  has  the  number  of  the  breed- 
ing queen  and  the  date  of  starting  the  cells  marked 
on  the  top.  If  proper  care  is  taken  to  keep  a  correct 
record  of  this  in  a  day  book  kept  for  the  purpose,  you 
will  know  exactly  Avhen  the  cells  are  ready  to  hatch 
and  the  time  they  should  be  transferred  to  nuclei  or 
to  the  nursery. 

CUTTING  OUT  QUEEN-CELLS. 

When  the  cells  are  sufficiently  matured  to  be  safely 
removed  from  the  nuclei,  cut  them  out,  taking  with 
them  the  strip  of  comb  on  which  they  were  built. 
They  should  be  immediately  taken  into  a  warm 
room  and  separated.  A  lighted  lamp  is  kept  at 
hand  with  which  to  warm  the  knife.  Occasionally 
a  small  piece  of  one  of  the  cells  is  shaved  off.  The 
fracture  thus  made  may  be  easily  repaired  by  placing 
a  small  piece  of  foundation  over  it,  plastering  it  on, 
having  the  knife  quite  warm,  being  very  careful  to 
make  sound  work  of  it  or  the  bees  will  reopen  the 
cavity  and  remove  the  nearly  matured  queen.  After 
this  is  done  place  the  cells  in  the  nursery  or  nuclei. 

We  will  suppose  that  we  have  one  hundred  queen- 
cells  on  hand  and  one  hundred  nuclei  ready  to  receive 
them.     When  the  cells  have  been  sealed  seven  days 


23 

they  may  be  safely  cut  out,  but  it  is  better  to  let  them 
remain  until  the  morning  of  the  eighth  day  after  they 
were  sealed,  and  then  give  them  to  the  nuclei.  Of 
course,  cells  are  being  built  in  other  hives  and  will 
soon  hatch.  The  first  lot  of  queens  should  be  fertil- 
ized by  this  time,  and  disposed  of,  if  the  weather 
has  been  favorable,  and  room  made  for  a  second  lot ; 
but  supposing  the  first  lot  not  to  have  been  fertilized 
on  account  of  unfavorable  weather,  and  there  is  not 
room  for  the  second  lot  in  the  nnclei  already  in  oper- 


UT-^i 


Queen  nursery. 


ation,  what  shall  we  do  with  them?  No  queen-dealer 
can  afi'ord  to  lose  a  fine  lot  of  cells,  especially  if  he 
has  a  large  number  of  orders  on  hand  ;  every  cell 
and  perfect  queen  must  be  preserved  in  some  way. 
How  can  this  be  accomplished?  I  will  give  my 
method  which  is  a  simple  and  good  one.  I  provide 
against  such  a  contingency  by  having  a  queen  nursery 
of  my  own  invention,  fig.  9. 


24 


QUEEN   NURSERY   AND   HOW   TO   USE    IT. 

I  use  eighteen  cages  in  one  standard  Langstroth 
frame  ;  each  cage,  fig.  10,  has  a  place  in  it  for  a  sponge 
to  contain  the  food,  and  another  for  the  cell.  An  inch 
and  one-half  hole  is  made  in  each  cage,  both  sides  of 
which  are  covered  with  wire-cloth.  Each  cage  is  pro- 
vided with  food  snfficient  to  last  a  queen  one  week. 
The  cells  are  cut  out  and  placed  in  these  cages  which 
are  then  placed  in  the  centre  of  a  full  colony.  As 
eighteen  of  these  just  fill  a  frame  they  will  stay  in 


Fig.  10.    Nursery  cage. 

place  without  any  fastening  whatever.  A  bungling 
workman  cannot  make  them  so  that  they  will  work 
just  right.  The  cages  must  be  exactly  alike,  and 
then  there  will  be  no  trouble  in  having  them  stay 
in  place.  They  should  be  cut  out  with  a  circular 
saw  run  by  steam  power.  I  make  it  a  point  to  do 
all  such  work  in  the  best  manner  possible. 

By  the  use  of  this  nursery,  my  queensare  all  hatched 
in  the  brood-chamber  and  in  nearly  the  natural  way, 
and  by  the  natural  warmth  of  the  bees ;    no  lamp 


25 

nursery  nor  other  artificial  devices  being  used,  and 
none  of  which  ever  should  be  used  in  queen-rearing. 
When  one  digresses  from  the  paths  of  nature,  in  this 
business,  the  more  unsuccessful  he  will  be.  When 
the  queens  are  in  the  nursery  in  the  centre  of  the 
brood-chamber,  they  are  perfectly  happy  and  con- 
tented, and  will  live  there  safely  for  several  weeks. 
In  no  other  way  have  I  been  able  to  preserve  them  so 
long.  Each  cage  must  be  supplied  with  food,  as  a 
colony  with  a  laying  queen  will  not  feed  virgin  queens, 
and  oftentimes  even  a  queenless  colony  cannot  be  de- 
pended upon  for  doing  so,  as  I  have  learned  to  my 
sorrow. 

INTRODUCING  VIRGIN  QUEENS  ;    HOW  LONG    TO    KEEP  A 
COLONY  QUEENLESS  BEFORE  INTRODUCING  A  QUEEN. 

This  is  another  important  point  which  properly 
comes  under  the  head  of  queen-rearing.  It  has  been 
said  that  virgin  queens  cannot  be  successfully  intro- 
duced. Those  who  assume  this  certainly  mistake. 
I  am  obliged  to  introduce  hundreds  of  them  every 
year,  and  have  no  trouble  in  so  doing.  I  seldom  have 
occasion  to  introduce  them  to  full  colonies,  but  that 
it  can  be  safely  performed  I  have  no  doubt. 

In  order  to  introduce  such  queens  successfully  the 
colony  should  remain  queenless  three  days  (seventy- 
two  hours)  ;  then  give  them  a  pretty  good  fumigating 
with  tobacco  smoke.  Remember,  the  bees  must  remain 
queenless  three  days  at  the  least,  and  during  the  mean- 
time no  queen  must  be  near  them,  otherwise  the  oper- 


ation  will  prove  a  fjiilure.  Virgin  queens  can  also  be 
introduced  successfully  by  daubing  them  with  honey 
and  using  no  tobacco  smoke.  Put  a  little  honey  into 
a  tea-cup  and  roll  the  queen  in  it  so  as  to  daub  her 
thoroughly,  then  drop  her  from  a  spoon  into  the  hive 
among  the  bees.  They  will  at  once  commence  to 
remove  the  honey  and  when  they  have  done  so  the 
queen  is  safely  introduced.  This  is  a  much  slower 
process  than  by  fumigating  them  with  tobacco  smoke, 
but  quite  as  successful.  Do  this  just  before  sunset. 
When  tobacco  smoke  is  used  to  introduce  them, 
throw  some  grass  against  the  entrance  to  keep  the 
smoke  in  and  the  bees  from  coming  out.  Blow  in  a 
liberal  amount  and  then  let  the  queen  run  in  at  the 
top  through  the  hole  used  for  the  feeder. 


ANOTHER    WAY    TO    INTRODUCE    VIRGIN    QUEENS. 

Make  a  cage  wholly  of  wire- 
cloth  or  such  an  one  as  is  used  in 
mailing  queens.  Cut  a  mortise 
from  the  main  apartment  to  the 
outer  edge  as  seen  in  fig.  11, 
cage  the  queen  and  fill  the  mor- 
tise with  Good's  food  ;  by  the 
time  that  the  bees  have  removed 
it,  they  will  have  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  queen.  Bear 
in  mind  that  the  bees  nmst  be 
queenless  three  days  before  in- 
troducing virgin  queens.     If  a 


III 

f 

llllii' 

6 

ilp^ 

llii 

lii^ 

e:|e^ 

w^ — ■' 

r— i^- 

lljffir 

::::::-0:i 

r-!;fe 

l^-iiSWP 

l^i^:-Ht>.lifebi^5!:i:!:!:!^| 

Fig. 11 

little 


Introducing  cage. 

tobacco  smoke  is  used  to  scent  the  bees  at  the 


27 

time  the  cage  is  put  in,  I  think  the  undertaking  will 
be  rather  more  successful.  Laying  queens  can  be 
introduced  by  the  same  process.  A  colony  made 
queenless  for  the  purpose  will  always  begin  to  rear  a 
number  of  cells.  When  the  new  queen  is  introduced, 
they  immediately  stop  cell-building ;  all  are  de- 
stroyed, and  the  bees  commence  to  pay  royalty  to 
the  new  queen  given  them. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   OLD  AND  NEW  METHODS   OF  CELL-BUILDING. 

I  presume  the  reader  has  followed  the  descriptions 
carefully  and  understands  now  how  to  have  queen-cells 
uniformly  built,  so  that  none  need  be  destroyed  in 
cutting  them  out.  By  the  old  method  a  large  number 
of  fine  cells  must  necessarily  be  destroyed  in  trans- 
ferring them,  as  they  are  built  so  irregular  and  often- 
times so  close  together  that  three  or  four  are  rendered 
useless.  It  is  also  exceedingly  difficult  to  determine 
when  the  cells  will  hatch,  as  the  bees  will  use  eggs  or 
larvse  in  various  stages  from  which  to  rear  queens. 
Again  the  bees  will  continue  to  start  cells  three  or 
four  days  after  the  brood  is  given  them.  My  method 
does  away  with  all  this  trouble,  and  we  can  determine 
to  a  certainty,  within  a  few  hours  at  least,  the  time 
when  the  cells  will  hatch.  This  is  one  of  the  great 
advantages  to  be  derived  from  its  use,  and  again,  there 


28 

is  no  guesswork  about  it,  and  no  eight  or  ten  day 
queens  need  be  anticipated  as  none  can  be  reared, 
simply  because  there  are  no  old  larvaB  for  them  from 
which  to  rear  queens. 

HOW  TO    REAR  QUEENS   IN   FULL   COLONIES  AND    STILL 
HAVE    NONE    QUEENLESS. 

I  have  asserted  that  my  queens  are  reared  in  full 
colonies  and  none  are  ever  queenless.  Well,  none  of 
my  standard  colonies  are  ever  without  queens. 

1  first  determine  as  nearly  as  possible  the  number  of 
queens  I  intend  to  rear  during  the  season,  and  then 
select  enough  good  strong  stocks  for  the  purpose. 
One  half-dozen  colonies  will  rear  a  large  number  of 
queens  in  a  season,  as  will  be  seen  by  what  follows. 
I  deprive  the  first  half-dozen  colonies  used  for  queen- 
rearing  of  all  their  brood  and  queens,  giving  the 
former  to  weak  colonies  to  build  them  up,  as  by  this 
process  I  can  soon  make  them  strong.  I  prepare  as 
many  colonies  in  this  way  as  I  wish  to  keep  building 
cells  at  one  time  and  as  I  think  will  meet  my  wants 
for  one  season.  I  would  state  here  that  no  colony 
should  be  permitted  to  build  two  lots  of  cells  ;  I 
mean  by  this  that  the  first  lot  of  cells  should  not  be 
removed  and  eggs  given  them  to  build  others.  I 
consider  it  poor  policy  to  do  so,  although  such  a 
colon}^  will  build  a  second  lot  of  cells  ;  but  they  would 
produce  inferior  and  almost  worthless  queens,  and  a 
queen-dealer  who  would  do  so  would  soon  lose  his 
reputation. 


29 

HOW   TO   OBTAIN   MORE    CELLS. 

When  I  want  a  fresh  lot  of  cells,  I  take  a  strong 
colony  and  remove  all  the  bees,  by  the  process  des- 
cribed on  page  8.  Replace  the  combs,  and  put  the 
hive  exactly  where  one  of  the  colonies  has  been  stand- 
ing which  has  just  finished  a  lot  of  cells.  Then  brush 
or  shake  the  bees  from  the  combs  of  the  latter  hive 
(care  being  taken  not  to  shake  the  comb  on  which  the 
queen-cells  are  built) ,  in  front  of  the  hive  from  which 
the  strong  colony  has  just  been  taken,  and  give  them 
the  queen  from  the  first  colony. 

Bees  enough  should  be  left  with  the  cells  to  keep 
them  from  chilling,  or  the  frame  on  which  they  are 
built  can  be  placed  in  a  hive  where  other  cells  are 
being  built,  or  add  one  frame  of  honey  and  one  of 
brood,  and  form  a  three-frame  nucleus.  When  the 
cells  are  ready  to  hatch,  transfer  all  but  one  to  other 
nuclei,  and  thus  gradually  form  the  needed  nuclei 
for  the  season. 


HOW   OFTEN   THE    SAME    COLONY   MAY    BE    USED 
FOR    CELL-BUILDING. 

Having  taken  care  of  the  cells  and  brood  in  the  full 
colony,  we  now  have  a  fresh  lot  of  bees  on  our  hands, 
which  will  be  ready  in  a  few  hours  to  build  other 
cells,  while  the  bees  which  have  just  completed  the 
first  lot  will  continue  the  work  in  the  hive  from  which 
the  fresh  bees  were  taken.  In  three  or  four  weeks 
the  same  process  can  be  repeated,  as  the  old  hive  will 


30 

then  be  full  of  newly  hatched  young  bees.  After  get- 
ting bees  enough  to  start  the  first  half  dozen  lots  of 
cells,  no  more  hives  need  be  made  queenless  and  every 
colony  will  be  kept  strong  during  the  season,  as  they 
will  have  a  laying  queen  all  the  time.  It  will  be 
seen  by  any  intelligent  bee-keeper  that  it  will  not 
require  half  as  many  colonies  to  rear  one  thousand 
queens,  as  by  the  old  process.  This  I  also  claim 
as  orijrinal. 


DESTROYING  DRONE  BROOD  AND  WORTHLESS  DRONES  ; 
THE  USE  OF  THE  DRONE  TRAP. 

Where  the  extractor  is  used  drone-brood  not  needed 
may  be  destroyed  after  the  honey  has  been  slung  out, 
by  uncapping  it,  being  careful  to  shave  off  the  heads 
of  the  drones  ;  for  this  purpose  I  use  a  thin,  flat  knife 
such  as  Mr.  Peabody  sold  with  his  extractor.  Ex- 
cessive drone-breeding  can  be  kept  down  by  such  a 
process,  when  there  are  only  a  few  hives  kept.  I 
cannot  recommend  this  process  in  a  large  apiary  and 
some  other  device  must  be  resorted  to. 

Most  any  one,  I  think,  has  suflScient  ingenuity  to 
construct  a  drone  trap  for  the  purpose  of  destroying 
worthless  or  surplus  drones.  I  find  it  rather  difl3cult 
to  describe  one  so  that  all  may  understand  it,  but  shall 
have  an  engraving  made  and  give  a  description  of  it 
at  some  future  time.  All  that  is  needed  is  to  place 
a  gauge  at  the  entrance  so  that  the  drones  cannot  get 
out,  and  make  an  outlet  for  them  to  pass  through  into 
a  box  trom  which  the  workers  can  escape  and  they 


31 

cannot.  The  swarming  box,  only  on  a  smaller  scale 
(of  which  a  description  is  given  at  end  of  vokime), 
will  answer  every  purpose.  Care  must  be  taken,  if 
a  trap  is  used,  not  to  smother  the  colony ;  this  will 
not  be  the  case  if  the  bees  have  an  easy  means  of 
escape  from  the  hive  into  the  trap.  The  outlet  for 
the  drones  to  pass  into  it  must  be  made  large  enough 
for  them  to  pass  through  freely. 

HOW  IMANY  QUEENS    OUGHT  A  COLONY  TO  REAR  ? 

I  have  frequently  cautioned  queen-dealers  and  those 
who  rear  queens  simply  for  their  own  use,  against 
rearing  too  many  queens  in  one  hive  at  the  same  time. 
This  is  so  ver}'  important  that  I  must  be  excused  for 
repeating  it.  By  my  plan  one  hundred  queens  can 
be  raised  by  a  colony  as  well  as  twenty-five  ;  but  the 
more  queens  reared  the  poorer  they  will  be.  The 
correct  number,  as  my  experience  teaches  me,  is  about 
twelve  queens  to  a  colony.  I  have  found  that  worthless 
queens  are  reared  under  the  swarming  impulse  as  well 
as  by  artificial  means.  If  a  queen  is  removed  from  a 
full  colony  they  will  build  from  twelve  to  twenty  queen- 
cells.  Very  few  of  these  will  prove  to  be  valuable 
queens,  as  a  colony  thus  made  queenless  will  not  start 
cells  from  the  eggs.  They  will  select  larvae  two  or 
three  days  old  for  cells  as  their  impatience  leads  them 
to  diverge  from  nature's  course  every  time.  The 
queens  reared  from  the  latter  cells  always  prove  short- 
lived and  almost  worthless.  I  am  aware  that  a  large 
number  of  the  queens  reared  are  produced  by  the 


latter   process.     This  statement  is   founded  on   the' 
writings  of  man}'  who  rear  queens. 

HOW   TO   REAR   VALUABLE    QUEENS. 

To  rear  valuable  queens,  I  think  the  hive  should 
not  contain  over  twenty-five  eggs  to  start  with,  and 
in  about  twenty-four  hours  after  the  cells  are  started, 
at  least  ten  of  them  should  be  destroyed,  so  that  not 
over  fifteen  remain  to  mature.  Of  course  we  cannot 
afford  to  sell  such  queens  for  seventy-five  cents  or 
one  dollar  each.  Out  of  twelve  cells  that  hatch,  prob- 
ably four  of  that  number  would  never  mature  or  they 
would  be  destroyed  in  some  other  way  :  lost  in  mating, 
killed  in  the  hive,  or  by  some  other  mishap  to  which 
queens  are  always  liable  and  exposed. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HIVE  TO  USE  FOR  YOUNG  QUEENS. 

For  many  years  I  have  used  the  small  hive  described 
on  page  4,  for  queen  nuclei  (for  fertilization  only), 
and  find  them  as  convenient  and  handy  as  any.  They 
are  made  large  enough  to  take  four  combs,  but  I  sel- 
dom use  over  three  to  each  hive. 

ISIany  large  queen-dealers  use  the  same  kind  for 
this  purpose,  and  find  them  just  as  good  as  larger 
ones,  much  handier  and  less  expensive.     In  the  fall 


33 

the  bees  are  united  with  other  colonies,  and  the  combs 
packed  away  in  barrels  for  use  another  year. 

HOW  TO  FORM  NUCLEI. 

To  prepare  these  hives  for  the  cells,  or  young 
queens,  I  proceed  as  follows  : — if  a  box-hive  is  to  be 
broken  up,  with  which  to  fill  them,  it  is  taken  into  the 
bee-room.  The  bees  are  treated  the  same  as  though 
they  were  in  a  frame-hive,  viz.  :  induce  the  bees  to 
fill  themselves  with  honey  by  closing  the  entrance, 
smoking  them,  and  rapping  smartly  on  the  hive  for 
ten  minutes  or  more.  After  driving  all  the  bees  out 
that  can  be  induced  to  leave  the  hive,  proceed  the 
same  as  in  transferring,  placing  the  bees  in  the  cap 
of  a  hive  or  box  until  ready  to  be  placed  in  the 
nuclei. 

Put  the  comb  containing  brood  and  that  contain- 
ing honey  into  the  small  frames.  Give  each  hive 
at  least  one  frame  of  brood,  one  of  honey  and  one 
empty  comb.  Place  two  of  the  frames  in  the  hive 
then  put  in  about  one  pint  of  bees,  putting  the  third 
comb  in  last,  then  place  the  cover  on.  Confine  the 
bees  in  the  hive  forty-eight  hours  before  permitting 
them  to  fly.  If  there  are  but  few  drones  in  the  hives 
and  we  wish  to  destroy  them,  it  can  be  quickly  and 
easily  done  by  the  following  plan  :  go  to  each  of 
them  early  in  the  morning  of  the  day  on  which  they 
are  to  be  liberated,  take  an  empty  hive  with  you, 
give  the  bees  a  small  dose  of  tobacco  smoke,  let  them 
remain  quiet  a  few  moments  then  examine  the  combs 

3 


34 

separately  and  very  carefully,  and  pinch  the  head  of 
every  drone  found.  Put  the 
combs  with  the  adhering  bees 
into  the  empty  hive,  placing  it 
on  the  stand  of  the  hive  just 
examined.  The  bees  must  have 
plenty  of  air  while  confined  in 
c  "  these    small    hives.      For    this 

Fig.  12.     Screen  used  for      p^-pose    I   USC  a  Small  SCrCCU  to 

ventilation.  '■       '■ 

nail  on  the  front  of  each,  fig.  12. 
It  should  be  made  roomy  enough  so  that  the  bees  can 
come  out  from  the  body  of  the  hive  into  it,  and  get 
all  the  air  they  need  and  return  as  often  as  they 
choose. 

WHERE  TO  PLACE  NUCLEUS  HIVES. 

Nuclei  used  for  fertilizing  queens  should  not  be 
placed  very  near  colonies  building  cells,  as  the  queens, 
when  returning  from  the  marriage  tour,  are  quite 
liable  under  such  circumstances  to  enter  the  wrong 
hive,  and  young  queens,  even  though  not  fertilized, 
are  always  welcome  to  a  queenless  colony.  Nuclei" 
for  fertilizing  queens  should  not  remain  queenless 
long  at  a  time ;  if  they  do  there  is  great  danger  of 
fertile  workers  gaining  possession  of  the  colony  and 
they  are  the  pests  of  the  apiary.  I  have  seen  many 
valuable  queens  destroyed  by  them. 

WHY    BEES    BALL    AND    DESTROY     QUEENS. 

When  queens  have  returned  from  the   flight   in 


35 

search  of  drones  they  are  sometimes  seized  by  the 
bees,  hugged  or  smothered  to  death  (called  balling), 
stung  or  injured,  Avings  torn,  or  one  leg  stung  and 
rendered  useless.  In  almost  every  instance  where 
this  hugging  takes  place  the  queens  are  nearly  ruined, 
this  being  more  than  they  can  endure  without  injury 
to  their  fertility.  When  this  takes  place  one  may 
know  that  fertile  workers  infest  the  colony. 

HOW  TO  INSERT  QUEEN-CELLS. 

Having  everything  properly  prepared  we  are  ready 
to  give  to  each  nucleus  a  queen-cell.  This  can  be  done 
without  taking  out  the  combs  or  cutting  them,  as  is 
the  general  method  practised  by  most  queen-dealers, 
and  given  by  the  bee  journals  as  the  best.  I 
generally  find  plenty  of  room  between  the  combs 
without  disturbing  any  of  them.  If  not,  I  slip  one  of 
the  frames  a  little  to  one  side,  place  the  cell  in  posi- 
tion point  downward,  of  course,  and  gently  press  the 
comb  back  against  it.  It  will  thus  be  held  securely 
in  place  and  will  hatch  as  well  as  though  inserted 
in  the  centre  of  the  comb.  By  doing  this,  the 
combs  are  not  mutilated  and  the  operation  is  quickly 
performed. 

If  young  queens  are  to  be  given  to  the  nuclei 
instead  of  cells,  proceed  according  to  directions  given 
on  page  25.  Bear  in  mind  that  very  young  queens 
are  more  acceptable  than  those  four  or  five  days  old. 
It  is  much  more  troublesome  and  more  difficult  to 
introduce  older  ones,  and  the  latter  will  be  destroyed 


36 

unless  scented  by  being  fumigated  with  tobacco  smoke 
or  by  some  other  means,  the  idea  being  to  deceive 
the  bees,  which  can  be  done  by  scenting  them  all 
alike. 

A  queen-cell  can  be  given  to  a  colony  immediately 
after  removing  a  queen  from  it,  and  should  the  young 
queen  emerge  from  the  cell  within  an  hour  she 
will  generally  be  kindly  received,  and  thus  safely 
introduced. 

Occasionally,  a  queen  hatching  so  soon  after  the  cell 
has  been  introduced  will  be  killed,  but  this  seldom 
happens. 

Cells  may  be  given  to  queenless  colonies  at  any 
time,  but  queens  should  not  be  given  to  any  colony 
until  it  has  been  queenless  three  or  more  da3'8. 


THE  AGE  AT  WHICH  QUEENS  ARE  FERTILIZED. 

We  read  quite  frequently  in  the  bee  journals  of 
queens  becoming  fertilized  Avhen  only  three  days  old. 
This  may  be  true,  but  in  all  my  experience,  I  never 
knew  one  to  take  her  wedding  flight  when  less  than 
five  days  old.  In  from  thirty-six  to  forty-eight  hours 
after  this  they  usually  commence  to  lay. 

Early  in  the  season  they  generally  come  out, 
between  the  hours  of  one  and  three  p.  m.,  and 
sometimes  as  late  as  four  p.  m.  After  the  first  of 
September  they  will  fly  as  early  as  11.30  a.  m.,  and 
not  much  later  than  two  p.  m.  unless  the  weather  is 
very  warm  and  pleasant. 


37 

HOW  TO  FORCE  THE  YOUNG  QUEENS  TO  FLT. 

In  localities  where  forage  is  scarce,  some  means  must 
be  adopted  to  stimulate  the  bees  and  cause  the  queeus 
to  fly  when  they  are  not  disposed  to  do 
so.    This  can  be  accomplished  by  feed- 
ing   the    bees.     The    nucleus    feeder 
fig.   13,  which  I  have  used  for  twenty 
years,  will   hold   one  ounce  of  syrup 
and    is    admirably   adapted    for    this 
purpose.     Such    colonies   as   have 
queens  old  enough  to  fly  are  fed  during       fig.  is.  Cone 
the  forenoon   and  the  queens  will  fly 
in  the  afternoon  and  generally  be  fertilized  ;  whereas 
if  they  are  not  fed  they  will  not  leave  the  hives  some- 
times until  a  week  later. 


QUEENS    FERTILIZED    BUT    ONCE  ;     HOW    FAR    TO    KEEP 
THE    RACES   APART   TO    INSURE    PURITY. 

I  am  satisfied  that  no  queens  are  fertilized  more 
than  once.  They  may  fly  more  than  once,  but  if  they 
make  the  second  flight  and  bear  all  the  indications 
of  having  met  a  drone,  it  is  pretty  certain  that  they 
were  unsuccessful  the  first  time. 

There  are  some  who  entertain  the  idea  that  a 
race  of  bees  cannot  be  kept  pure  unless  they  are 
kept  isolated  several  miles  from  all  other  races.  I 
have  tested  this  matter  carefully  and  pretty  thoroughly 
during  the  last  twenty  years,  and  have  found  that 
one-half  mile  is  as  srood  as  a  much  orreater  distance. 


38 

While  drones  will  sometimes  fly  a  mile  or  more,  the 
queens  will  not.  This  fact  can  be  ascertained  by 
watching  a  queen  when  she  takes  her  wedding  flight. 
She  seldom  is  gone  over  five  minutes  and  nine  out  of 
every  ten  will  return  within  five  minutes.  Of  course 
if  the  young  queens  are  only  one-half  mile  from  a 
large  apiary  of  black  bees,  there  must  be  an  abundance 
of  Italian  drones  in  the  same  yard  Avith  them.  This 
being  the  case  not  one  queen  in  twenty-five  will  mis- 
mate.     This  rule  applies  equally  well  to  all  races. 

HOW   TO   KEEP   LAYING   QUEENS. 

Sometimes  queen-dealers  and  often  other  apia- 
rists have  occasion  to  keep  laying  queens  on  hand 
several  days  before  using  them. 

Surplus  queens  can  be  kept  on  hand  a  long 
time,  in  the  queen  nursery,  provided  the  cages  are 
well  supplied  with  food  ;  this  being  the  only  attention 
needed.  The  sponges  in  the  cages  must  be  refilled 
with  honey  as  often  as  once  each  week  at  the  least. 

The  nursery  should  be  placed  in  the  centre  of  the 
brood-chamber  of  a  full  colony.  To  make  room  for 
it  either  remove  one  of  the  outside  combs,  or,  in  case 
the  colony  is  strong,  one  of  hatching  brood.  The 
latter  may  be  given  to  some  weak  stock.  When  the 
nursery  is  taken  from  the  hive  and  no  other  queens 
are  at  hand,  fill  the  space  then  left  vacant  either  with 
an  empty  comb  or  a  frame  filled  with  foundation. 

A  few  queens  may  be  kept  by  placing  the  cages  be- 
tween the    cushion    and  frames,   in  such  a   manner 


39 

that  the  bees  will  have  easy  access  to  them.  A  col- 
ony having  a  fertile  queen  cannot  be  depended  upon 
to  feed  other  queens  under  such  circumstances,  hence 
the  importance  of  supplying  the  cages  with  food. 
A  person  must  use  his  judgment  regarding  keeping 
queens  in  this  way,  when  the  nights  are  cool.  There 
need  be  no  apprehension  regarding  this  point  between 
June  1  and  Sept.  1. 

FEEDING    NUCLEI  ;    WHY    THEY    SOMETIMES 
SWARM    OUT. 

Nucleus  colonies  (in  hives,  described  at  end  of 
volume),  must  be  fed  as  often  as  once  each  week, 
unless  forage  is  abundant,  or  they  will  "  swarm  out," 
even  when  they  are  well  supplied  with  brood  and 
honey,  as  such  colonies  are  easily  discouraged. 

They  will  not  do  so  if  fed  a  small  amount  of  syrup 
occasionally.  Use  only  the  best  sugar-syrup  (not 
honey) ,  giving  it  to  the  bees  the  same  day  on  which  it 
is  prepared.  Never  use  poor  food  as  it  soon  sours,  and 
runs  out  of  the  feeder  besmearing  the  bees  and  combs. 
This  will  surely  cause  them  to  desert  the  hives. 

The  following  incident  well  illustrates  this  point : 
one  morning  I  fed  fifty  nuclei  with  some  syrup  which 
had  been  prepared  but  twenty-four  hours.  The 
weather  was  very  warm ;  the  syrup  became  sour  and 
ran  out  of  the  feeder  besmearing  the  bees  and  combs, 
every  colony  of  which  swarmed  out  and  united  in  one 
cluster.  This  resulted  in  a  loss  of  nearly  fifty  dol- 
lars to  me. 


40 
CHAPTER  VII. 

UNPROFITABLE  BREEDING  QUEENS. 

I  have  found  that  many  of  the  young  queens  from 
some  mothers  are  lost  on  their  "marital  tour,"  al- 
though such  queens  when  successfully  mated  prove 
very  valuable.  This  is  a  singular  and  unnatural  phe- 
nomenon for  which  I  cannot  account.  Why  the}^  fail 
to  return  to  the  hive  is  more  than  I  can  comprehend. 
Queens  having  this  imperfection  should  be  discarded 
as  breeding  queens  at  once,  notwithstanding  they 
may  in  many  other  respects  be  very  desirable  as 
queen  mothers.  We  cannot  afford  to  use  queens 
of  this  class  from  which  to  breed  others,  when 
so  many  of  their  young  queens  are  lost  in  mating. 
It  is  rather  discouraging  when  examining  a  lot  of 
nucleus  colonies,  where  there  should  be  a  number  of 
fine  laying  queens,  to  find  none,  they  having  been  lost 
while  on  their  first  flight. 

MOST    PROFITABLE    BREEDING    QUEENS. 

I  bred  from  a  queen  last  season  not  one  in  fifty 
of  whose  royal  daughters  was  lost  in  mating.  These 
are  the  only  profitable  ones  from  which  to  breed. 
For  breeding  queens  select  carefully  only  those 
which  are  very  prolific ;  whose  royal  progeny  are 
fair  in  size  and  handsome,  whose  worker  bees  are 
uniformly  marked,  gentle,  good  workers,  and  per- 
fect in  all  other  respects.     Purity  of  stock  cannot  be 


41 

maintained  unless  great  care  is  taken  in  selecting  the 
queen  mother.  Never  use  one  whose  workers  have 
from  one  to  three  bands.  The  young  queens  from 
such  an  one  would  show  a  variety  of  markings,  black, 
striped,  and  a  beautiful  yellow,  the  yellow  ones  being 
sadly  in  the  minority.  If  beauty,  purity  and  busi- 
ness qualities  are  desired,  such  a  queen  would  be 
worthless.  Always  select  one  having  the  markings 
which  show  her  to  be  pure,  prolific  and  hardy.  This 
subject  is  more  fully  explained  elsewhere. 


THE    SELECTION    OF    THE    DRONE    MOTHER. 

I  have  long  contended  that  success  in  queen-rearing 
depends  largely  upon  the  drones  used  for  mating. 
The  same  care  should  be  taken  in  the  selection  of  the 
drone  mother  as  with  the  queen  mother.  Her  Avorker 
bees  should  be  well-marked,  gentle,  good  honey- 
gatherers,  hardy,  and  absolutely  pure  ;  the  drones 
large,  handsome,  and  very  active.  I  never  permit 
drones  from  all  my  colonies  to  fly  promiscuously,  or 
have  any  haphazard  mating  of  queens.  Only  se- 
lected drones  having  the  above-mentioned  qualities 
are  tolerated  in  my  fertilizing  apiaries. 

HOW  TO  REAR  AND  PRESERVE  DRONES. 

It  is  well  known  to  most  Ijee-keepers  that  colonies 
having  fertile  queens  will  neither  rear  nor  permit 
drones  to  live  in  the  hive  late  in  the  season,  and  sel- 


42 

dom  when  forage  is  scarce.  If  queen-rearing  is  going 
on,  drones  must  be  procured  at  any  cost,  and  some 
means  must  be  adopted  to  rear  and  preserve  them  for 
use  in  the  latter  part  of  the  season.  To  do  this  I 
pursue  the  following  method  :  have  at  hand  several 
extra  frames  of  drone  comb  ;  insert  one  in  the  centre 
of  the  colony  from  whose  queen  you  wish  to  rear 
them.  Feed  this  colony  liberally  if  forage  is  scarce. 
Examine  them  in  the  course  of  a  week ;  if  the  comb 
is  well  filled  with  eggs  and  larves  remove  it  to  a 
queenless  colon}'. 

Instinct  teaches  queenless  bees  the  necessity  of 
rearing  and  caring  for  drones,  hence  they  can  always 
be  depended  upon  for  them  provided  the  brood  is 
given  them. 

Replace  the  comb  just  removed  with  an  empty 
one  ;  continue  this  as  long  as  the  queen  can  be  in- 
duced to  lay  drone  eggs.  Remember  that  queenless 
bees  never  destroy  drones,  while  a  colony  having  a 
fertile  queen  will  invariably  do  so,  unless  encouraged 
to  preserve  them  by  being  fed.  It  is  a  very  difficult 
matter  here  in  the  north  to  induce  queens  to  lay  drone 
eggs  in  September,  even  when  forage  is  abundant ; 
hence  drones  to  be  used  in  September  and  October 
should  be  secured  in  the  early  part  of  August,  as 
most  colonies  seem  disposed  to  rear  them  at  this  time. 

HOW    TO    JUDGE    OF    A    QUEEN    BEFORE    TESTING. 

The  practised  eye  of  an  expert  in  any  vocation  can 
detect  imperfection  where  the  novice   cannot.     My 


43 

experience  enables  me  to  judge  of  the  qualities  of  a 
queen  ;  whether  she  Avill  prove  prolific  or  otherwise, 
as  soon  as  she  has  laid  several  hundred  eggs.     The 
laying  queen,  if  a  good  one, 
will  deposit  all  her  eggs  in  ^^ 

the  cells  in  exactly  the  same  — =" 

position.     Every    egg   will 
point  downward,  and  will  be 
large  and  plump  when  com- 
pared   with    those    of    an    Un-         ^^«-  "•    Cell  from  which  a 
r  strong  queen  hatched. 

prolific    one,   and   every  cell 

not  otherwise  occupied  will  contain  an  egg.  I  can 
also  determine  whether  a  queen  is  worth  preserving 
or  not  the  moment  she  leaves  the  cell.  An  inferior 
queen  in  gnawing  through  leaves  a  little  ragged 
hole  instead  of  cutting  a  large  clean  cap,  fig.  14,  and 
leaving  an  opening  nearly  large  enough  to  admit  the 
end  of  the  Httle  finger,  as  a  strong  and  well  developed 
queen  always  does.  It  is  Avorse  than  useless  to  pre- 
serve such  queens. 

DESTROY    WEAK   AND    FEEBLE    QUEENS. 

After  the  aells  in  the  nucleus  or  those  in  the  nur- 
sery are  hatched,  examine  the  outlet  to  each,  and  if 
small  and  ragged  destroy  the  queens  at  once.  A 
good  prolific  queen  will  lay  nearly  or  quite  four  thou- 
sand eggs  in  twenty-four  hours.  One  that  will  not 
do  this  is  not  worth  preserving.  I  never  saw  a  queen 
that  I  considered  too  prolific  for  my  own  use  (the 
opinions  of  some  others  to  the  contrary  notwithstand- 


44 

ing) .  I  want  queens  that  will  deposit  ten  thousand 
eggs  or  even  more  in  a  day  if  they  can  be  reared. 

Very  few  bee-keepers  are  troubled  with  queens 
being  too  prolific.  I  should  as  soon  find  fault  with 
my  hens  for  laying  two  eggs  per  day  when  eggs  are 
worth  forty  cents  per  dozen,  as  with  a  too  prolific 
queen  when  honey  is  worth  twenty  cents  per  pound. 
I  am  aware  that  hens  do  not  eat  the  eggs  after  laying 
them  as  the  bees  do  the  honey  after  gathering  it ; 
but  if  the  hens  laid  no  eggs  there  would  be  no  profit, 
and  if  a  queen  is  not  prolific  there  is  no  income  from 
that  source. 

The  main  object  in  rearing  queens  is  to  get  hardy 
and  prolific  ones,  the  more  prolific  the  better.  A 
queen  that  will  lay  five  thousand  eggs  in  a  day  is 
worth  one  hundred  that  will  lay  but  one  thousand  in 
the  same  time.  My  opinion  is  founded  on  experi- 
ence and  the  result  of  careful  experimenting,  and 
I  believe  that  a  large  majority  of  bee-keepers  and 
those  of  extended  experience  are  of  the  same  opinion. 

LARGE    versus    SMALL    QUEENS. 

I  find  customers  occasionally  who  Avant  large  queens. 
A  person  engaged  extensively  in  queen-rearing  will 
have  them  of  most  every  size. 

I  nnist  confess  that  I  like  the  appearance  of  large 
and  handsome  queens  ;  but  they  do  not  as  a  rule  prove 
to  be  the  most  prolific  or  profitable.  Queens  of  me- 
dium size  are  generally  the  best.  They  have  proven 
so  Avith  me.     Good  queens  are  those  that  keep  their 


45 

hives  well  filled  with  bees.  The  color  or  size  has 
no  eflect  on  their  fertilit}-. 

An  experienced  bee-master  can  judge  of  the  quality 
of  the  queens  which  he  is  rearing  even  before  they 
leave  the  cell.  If  the  cells  are  short  and  blunt  when 
just  sealed  they  should  be  destroyed  at  once,  rather 
than  wait  and  destroy  the  queens  after  they  have 
hatched,  as  such  queens  would  prove  worthless. 

The  cells  containing  good  queens  are  long  and 
pointed,  and  heavily  waxed  with  a  rough  surface. 
The  bees  when  constructing  the  cells  seem  to  under- 
stand the  condition  of  the  embryo  queen,  and  whether 
she  will  be  strong  and  vigorous  or  otherwise. 

Cells  having  the  blunt  point  and  thin  walls,  so  thin 
in  fact  that  the  young  queen  can  be  seen  through  them, 
generally  contain  very  poor  ones.  Queens  that  delay 
long  before  becoming  fertile  in  favorable  weather 
will  not  prove  of  first  quality.  A  smart,  active  queen 
will  invariably  leave  the  hive  on  her  wedding  trip 
when  she  is  five  days  old,  and  in  all  my  experience 
I  never  knew  one  to  become  fertile  at  a  younger 
age. 

BEST    BEES    FOR    QUEEN-REARING. 

A  person  rearing  queens  extensively,  and  keeping 
several  races  of  bees  in  his  apiaries,  should  note 
those  that  build  the  largest  and  finest  cells,  and  rear 
the  best  queens. 

The  Holyland  bees  will  build  a  large  number  of 
cells  if  permitted  to  do  so,  and  the  queens  reared  by 


46 

them  are  very  large  and  prolific.  All  things  consid- 
ered, I  believe  them  to  be  the  best  of  the  four  races 
for  cell-building.  The  C^^prians  come  next  in  value 
for  this  purpose  ;  there  is,  however,  little  diflerence 
between  these.  My  acquaintance  with  the  Cyprian 
and  Holy  lands,  however,  has  not  been  as  extensive 
as  with  the  Italian  and  black  bees,  and  I  will  give  my 
experience  regarding  Italians,  as  it  may  differ  from 
that  of  others. 

THE    ITAJLIANS    NOT    A    DISTINCT    RACE. 

The  fact  that  the  Italians  are  not  a  distinct  race  is 
well  established  and  generally  admitted  ;  hence  it  be- 
comes necessary,  in  view  of  this,  to  propagate  the 
other  races  in  order  to  keep  the  former  up  to  the 
standard  and  maintain  their  established  reputation  as 
a  superior  race. 

I  have  tested  the  different  races  and  find  that  the 
Italians  are  the  least  adapted  for  cell-building.  I  do 
not  understand  why  this  is  so.  Prior  to  the  intro- 
duction of  the  Cyprians  and  Holylands,  I  always 
gave  the  black  bees  the  preference  as  nurses,  when- 
ever I  could  procure  them. 

The  cells  built  by  the  Italians  are  small,  many  being 
similar  to  those  described  on  page  45.  I  would  not 
hesitate  for  a  moment  to  destroy  them  as  soon  as 
sealed.  It  would  be  folly  to  permit  queens  from 
such  cells  to  become  fertile,  as  they  would  prove 
worthless,  and  much  valuable  time  would  be  lost  in 
testing   them.       Distinctly    remember    that    rearing 


47 

queens  artificially  is  quite  a  different  process  from 
that  pursued  by  the  bees  when  allowed  to  follow  their 
natural  instincts.  The  Creator  has  instituted  perfect 
laws  governing  insects,  and  bees  comply  with  the 
requirements  of  these  laws  when  allowed  to  rear 
queens  in  the  natural  way ;  the  result  being  perfect 
queens. 

In  view  of  this  and  on  account  of  the  increasing 
demand  for  queen-bees,  it  becomes  necessary  to 
adopt  some  artificial  means  by  which  equally  as  good 
queens  can  be  produced.  In  all  my  experimenting 
with  bees  for  this  purpose,  I  have  imitated  nature  as 
perfectly  as  possible. 

REARING    QUEENS   FROai   THE    EGG. 

Most  intelligent  and  experienced  bee-masters  agree 
with  me  in  the  opinion  that  queens  should  be  reared 
from  the  egg,  as,  other  things  being  equal,  they  prove 
the  best  in  all  cases. 

I  formed  this  opinion  during  my  first  year  in  the 
business,  have  had  no  reason  to  change  it,  and  claim 
that  this  is  the  only  way  to  rear  queens  which  will 
compare  favorably  with  those  produced  in  the  natui-al 
way  under  the  swarming  impulse. 

Many  years  ago,  I  frequently  heard  an  old  bee- 
keeping friend  make  the  following  remark  :  "  If  you 
want  large  queens  start  them  from  the  egg."  Any- 
one can  satisfy  himself  of  this  fact  by  thoroughly 
testing  it  for  a  few  weeks.  Full  directions  for  pro- 
curing and  keeping  a  continuous  supply  of  eggs  for 


48 

this  purpose  may  be  found  on  page  4,  which  should 
be  carefully  followed  in  order  that  you  may  be  pre- 
pared to  start  cells  at  any  time. 

THE     PROPER     TIME     TO    COMMENCE    QUEEN-REARING. 

I  make  it  a  point  to  have  the  hives  well  stocked 
with  bees  and  in  a  proper  condition  to  swarm,  having 
sealed  drone-brood  before  I  start  my  first  lot  of  cells. 
Here  in  New  England,  in  favorable  seasons,  queen- 
rearing  may  be  commenced  the  first  week  in  May 
provided  the  bees  are  properly  stimulated. 

It  is  well  understood  that  natural  cell-building  de- 
pends upon  the  following  conditions,  viz.  :  strong  and 
populous  colonies,  a  good  supply  of  drone-brood  and 
young  drones,  vigorous  queens,  warm  and  genial 
weather,  and  a  plentiful  flow  of  honey.  Hence,  you 
will  see  the  necessity  of  stimulating  the  bees  for  early 
breeding  by  giving  them  a  liberal  supply  of  syrup, 
and  in  every  other  possible  way. 

I  consider  the  above  the  best  indications  of  their 
readiness  to  commence  cell-buildins:. 


CHAPTER  VIH. 

THE    NEW   WAY    VeVSUS   THE    OLD. 

I  wish  to  point  out  some  of  the  advantages  which 
the  new  method  has  over  the  old.     The  latter  havinsf 


49 

been  fully  described  in  the  various  bee  journals  and 
standard  works  on  apiculture,  the  reader  must  nec- 
essarily be  tamiliar  with  them. 

The  first  point  is  to  make  a  colony  queenless.  A 
few  hours  later,  give  it  a  comb  containing  eggs  and 
larvoB  (either  with  or  without  holes  cut  in  it),  per- 
mitting the  bees  to  build  the  cells  where  they  choose. 
They  generally  build  them  in  clusters  (see  fig.  7), 
and  so  closely  joined  that  they  cannot  be  separated 
without  destroying  many  of  them.  The  eggs  given 
vary  in  age  from  one  to  three  days,  consequently 
when  the  queens  commence  to  hatch,  it  will  be  from 
one  to  three  days  before  they  have  all  left  the  cells ; 
and  when  a  larva  three  days  old  is  selected,  the  queen 
will  hatch  in  nine  or  ten  days.  Unless  carefully 
watched  this  early  hatched  queen  will  destroy  the 
remaining  cells  by  gnawing  through  them  near  the 
base,  and,  when  she  has  made  an  opening  of  sufficient 
size,  will  deliberately  sting  the  imprisoned  queen,  the 
bees  finishing  the  work  thus  ruthlessly  begun.  I 
used  quite  frequently  to  find  five  or  more  queens  in 
the  hatching-box  or  in  the  nuclei  at  one  time,  and  of 
course  many  of  them  would  be  stung. 

HOW   YOUXG    QUEENS    MANAGE,    WHEN    TWO    OR 
MORE   HATCH   AT    ONE   TIME. 

Perhaps  my  readers  are  not  familiar  with  queen- 
rearing,  and  do  not  know  how  the  young  queens 
manage  afiturs  when  several  emerge  at  the  same  time. 
Where  several  cells  are  clustered  together,  as  shown 

4 


50 

in  fig.  7,  several  of  these  queens  are  likely  to  hatch  at 
the  same  moment.  When  this  occurs  and  they  meet, 
a  mortal  combat  ensues  ;  the  conqueror  coming  out  of 
the  struggle  unharmed,  and  the  other  receiving  a  fatal 
wound  is  left  unmolested  to  die,  unless  some  merciless 
worker  seizes  her  by  the  wing  and  attempts  to  drag 
her  out  of  the  hive.  Please  remember  that  worker- 
bees  never  destroy  a  cell  that  contains  a  healthy  queen. 
In  all  my  experience  I  never  knew  such  a  thing  to 
occur.  Every  queen  will  be  permitted  to  hatch  un- 
less attacked  by  a  hostile  queen.  I  am,  however, 
fully  aware  that  many  writers  state  that  the  workers 
do  destroy  them.  When  breeding  by  the  method 
just  described,  I  was  obliged  to  spend  many  sleep- 
less nights  watching  such  cells  as  they  could  not  be 
separated,  and  they  would  almost  invariably  hatch  at 
night.  The  lamp-nursery  system  has  many  advo- 
cates, but  I  have  never  tried  this  plan  as  I  consider 
it  contrary  to  natural  laws.  Cells  need  the  natural 
warmth  of  the  bees,  and  it  is  almost  impossible,  in 
the  lamp-nursery,  to  keep  the  temperature  even.  Such 
means  will  produce  poor,  weak  queens. 

After  long  experimenting,  I  discovered  nil/  method 
as  described  in  this  book.  With  this  came  a  wonder- 
ful change. 

The  egfffs  being;  of  one  ajje  when  the  cells  are  started, 
I  can  accurately  determine  the  time  when  they  will 
hatch,  and  they  all  do  so  within  a  few  hours  of  each 
other.  The  cells  are  uniformly  built  and  can  be  easily 
separated.  By  the  use  of  the  queen  nursery  they 
are  hatched  by  the  natural  warmth  of  the  bees  in  the 


51 

brood-chamber.  The  fact  of  knowing  just  when  the 
queens  will  hatch,  would  have  saved  me  hundreds  of 
dollars  had  I  known  it  when  I  first  engaged  in  the 
business.  Now  I  am  not  obliged  to  sit  up  nights  to 
watch  the  cells  and  save  the  hatching  queens,  and  I  feel 
certain  that  my  readers,  without  one  exception,  will 
admit  that  the  above  is  entirely  new,  simple,  and  prac- 
ticable, and  see  at  once  the  advantage  to  be  gained  by 
its  adoption.  If  the  directions  given  are  strictly 
followed,  no  queen  need  be  lost  when  hatching,  as  the 
time  can  be  calculated  to  within  a  few  hours,  as 
follows  :  the  egg  will  hatch  in  three  and  one-half  days 
after  being  laid  ;  four  and  one-half  days  later  the  cell 
will  be  sealed,  and  in  eight  days  more  the  young 
queens  will  hatch  out,  making  sixteen  days,  the  time 
required  to  rear  a  queen  from  the  egg  just  laid. 

HOW  TO  REAR  A  FEW  QUEENS. 

As  many  bee-keepers  desire  to  rear  a  few  queens 
for  their  own  use,  thus  combining  pleasure  and  profit, 
I  will  give  special  directions  for  so  doing.  The 
general  rules  given  in  a  preceding  chapter  should 
be  followed,  but  all  operations  will  necessarily 
be  on  a  smaller  scale.  If  you  wish  to  rear  about 
a  dozen  queens,  go  to  a  strong  colony  at  sunset, 
remove  the  queen,  and  on  the  following  night  take 
away  all  the  unsealed  brood  (replacing  it  with  empty 
combs)  which  maybe  given  to  some  weak  colony  ;  then 
examine  all  the  remaining  combs,  carefully  destroying 
all  cells  which  have  been  started.     Now  give  them 


52 

eggs  prepared  forcell-building  in  the  manner  described 
on  page  12.  Mark  the  date  of  starting  on  the  hive. 
Five  or  six  days  later  take  a  tiiree-frame  nucleus  hive, 
and  place  two  combs  in  it ;  now  take  the  comb  on 
which  the  cells  are  started,  together  with  adhering 
bees  from  the  first  hive  and  place  it  in  the  centre  of 
the  nucleus  hive  between  the  two  others ;  then  select 
several  combs  of  brood  from  strong  stocks,  giving 
them  to  the  colony  from  which  the  cells  were  taken. 
Next,  give  them  a  queen,  letting  her  run  in  at  the 
entrance  and  she  will  be  kindly  received. 

Or,  in  case  we  wish  to  rear  other  queens,  remove 
the  bees  from  another  strong  colony,  replacing  them 
with  those  that  have  just  completed  the  lot  of  cells, 
giving  them  the  queen  just  removed  and  proceed 
as  with  the  former.  It  will  be  necessary  to  have 
one  of  the  swarming  boxes  for  the  last  lot  of  bees. 
The  above  directions  apply  only  to  full  colonies  and 
standard  frames. 

HANDLING   QUEEN-CELLS. 

This  also  is  an  important  matter  to  those  who  rear 
queens.  Great  care  should  be  taken  in  handling 
combs  on  which  cells  are  built,  as  when  the  cells 
are  not  sealed  the  slightest  jar  may  detach  the  pupa 
or  nymph  from  its  position  and  separate  it  from  the 
jelly-food ;  and,  although  the  bees  may  elongate  the 
cells  and  save  the  queens,  they  will  be  permanently 
injured,  but  in  most  cases  of  this  nature  the  cells  will 
be  destroyed  soon  after  being  sealed.     The  combs 


53 

should  not  be  handled  except  when  absolutely  nec- 
essary, and  never  tip  or  turn  them  bottom  upward. 
In  no  case  attempt  to  shake  the  bees  from  the  combs, 
allow  them  to  stand  in  the  sun,  or  exposed  in  the  cool 
air  until  they  become  chilled.  Any  rough  or  careless 
handling  will  result  in  injury  to  the  embryo  queens. 

The  wings  of  the  young  queens  are  not  perfectly 
formed  until  within  twenty-four  hours  of  the  time 
they  hatch  ;  and  if  the  cells  are  subjected  to  such 
rough  treatment,  many  of  the  queens  will  be  crippled 
by  having  defective  wings  or  legs,  or  perhaps  the 
abdomen  deformed.  These  precautions  apply  equally 
well  when  cutting  out  cells. 

Queens  may  be  hatched  from  those  that  have  been 
chilled,  but  they  will  be  weak  and  sickly ;  hence 
worthless. 

In  changing  combs  with  cells  on  them  from  one  hive 
to  another,  do  not  brush  the  bees  from  them,  but  let 
them  remain  to  protect  the  cells  from  the  extreme 
changes  in  the  atmosphere.  The  bees  adhering  to 
such  combs  are  kindly  received  by  others  under  like 
conditions  and  circumstances. 

Queen-cells  should  never  be  exposed  to  the  burning 
rays  of  the  sun  as  the  cell  in  which  the  queen  is  en- 
cased is  almost  air-tight,  and  such  exposure  invari- 
ably produces  suffocation  and  death.  If  the  temper- 
ature in  the  room  where  the  cells  are  being  prepared 
for  the  nursery  or  nuclei  is  slightly  lower  than  that 
of  the  hives,  the  cells  will  not  be  seriously  affected 
by  it,  but  do  not  keep  them  out  of  the  hives  longer 
than  is  absolutely  necessary. 


54 


REASONS   WHY  QUEENS   FAIL   TO    LAY,  DIE    SUDDENLY, 
OR    ARE    SUPERSEDED. 

During  the  past  ten  years  complaint  has  been  made 
by  some  of  my  customers  that  queens  sent  them 
failed  to  lay  after  being  introduced.  Had  these  re- 
ports originated  with  unreliable  parties,  I  should  not 
have  considered  them  worthy  of  notice,  but  on  the 
contrary  the  complaints  came  from  customers  in 
whose  honor  and  integrity  I  have  the  greatest  con- 
fidence. 

This  led  me  to  investigate  the  matter  fully,  as  to 
whether  queens  taken  from  strong  colonies  while  they 
were  in  a  high  state  of  prolificness  and  fertility  were 
not  more  liable  to  injury  in  transit. 

The  matter  was  certainly  of  sufficient  importance 
to  demand  thorough  investigation.  Occasionally,  the 
purchaser  would  report:  "My  queen  came  to  hand 
and  was  safely  introduced,  but  has  not  laid  an  egg 
up  to  date."  Of  course  I  felt  chagrined  to  hear  a 
report  like  this  from  a  customer  to  whom  I  had  sent 
a  tested  queen. 

When  dollar  queens  are  sent  such  a  report  will  not 
surprise  any  dealer,  as  such  queens  are  neither  war- 
ranted nor  tested ;  the  only  stipulation  regarding 
them  being  that  they  are  fertile,  and  little  further  is 
known  of  them  as  they  are  generally  shipped  as  soon 
as  they  commence  laying. 

I  was  well  satisfied  that  if  these  reports  were  cor- 
rect, the  injury  must  have  been  the  result  of  rough 
treatment  during  transit. 


55 

In  order  to  substantiate  my  opinion  and  conclu- 
sion, I  was  obliged  to  experiment  considerably  ;  con- 
sequently I  removed,  on  different  occasions,  several 
queens  from  nuclei  and  full,  vigorous  colonies,  keep- 
ing them  in  the  nursery  for  a  few  days  before  ship- 
ping, also  keeping  a  correct  record  of  these  queens 
and  their  destination  in  order  to  ascertain  if  they  re- 
ported all  right.  No  complaint  came  regarding  them, 
hence  I  concluded  that  I  had  discovered  one  of  the 
causes  and  also  the  proper  remedy  for  it. 

The  above  is  not  the  only  reason  why  queens  fail 
to  lay.  Unless  properly  introduced,  they  will  be 
rendered  worthless  before  they  have  been  in  the  hive 
an  hour.  Sometimes  they  will  be  slightly  stung, 
but  not  sufficiently  injured  to  cause  immediate  death, 
although  rendered  incapable  of  laying.  When  the 
hive  is  opened  the  queen  is,  apparently,  kindly 
received  by  the  bees  and  successfully  introduced,  as 
the  marks  made  by  the  sting  are  not  always  easily 
recognized. 

Occasionally  they  receive  a  sting  in  the  leg  ren- 
dering it  useless,  and  such  injury  is  easily  recognized. 
Nevertheless,  the  queen  will  continue  to  lay,  but  not 
to  the  extent  that  she  would  had  she  received  kind 
treatment  from  the  bees  when  introduced.  Some- 
times, several  weeks  will  elapse  before  they  show  any 
indications  of  failing  or  having  been  stung,  and  then 
are  superseded,  or  as  the  term  is  "missing." 

Parties  purchasing  queens  should  not  hastily  con- 
demn the  dealer,  but  should  carefully  study  the 
causes   of  the  loss.     There   are  many  reasons  why 


56 

queens  die  suddenly,  fail  to  lay,  or  are  superseded 
soon  after  being  introduced,  the  principal  of  which 
have  been  described  above  with  the  remedy  for  the 
same,  and  regarding  the  others  I  can  only  say,  use 
caution  in  introducing  them.  I  would  advise  the 
reader  (if  a  dealer)  to  keep  queens  "to  be  shipped," 
in  the  nursery  for  a  few  days  before  sending  them 
out.  I  am  satisfied  that  should  this  plan  be  generally 
adopted,  less  queens  will  be  lost  or  injured  in  ship- 
ping. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

TESTED     QUEENS     THE     STANDARD     OF     EXCELLENCE. 

This  is  an  important  subject  and  one  of  great  in- 
terest, especially  to  every  honey-producer.  Queen- 
rearing  has  become  a  specialty,  and  honey-producers 
who  wish  to  rear  queens  for  their  own  use,  and  the 
queen-breeders  who  desire  to  infuse  new  blood  to 
prevent  in-and-in  breeding  want  good  reliable  stock, 
and  in  order  to  obtain  this  call  for  tested  queens. 

I  think  that  the  importance  of  the  terra  is  often 
forgotten  ;  some  consider  that  it  simply  applies  to  a 
queen  whose  worker  progeny  bear  the  markings 
which  indicate  purity.  If  so,  they  mistake,  and  I 
think  it  due  to  the  dignity  of  queen-rearing  and  api- 
culture that  this  matter  be  more  clearly  explained  and 
definitely  established. 


57 

There  must  be  some  standard  of  excellence  and 
I  consider  that  this  is  implied  in  the  term  tested 
queens.  It  is  not  my  intention  to  detract  from  the 
vahie  and  importance  of  the  business  by  devising 
means  for  producing  cheap  queens,  but  to  establish  a 
method  by  which  the  best  may  be  produced,  thereby 
promoting  its  interests  and  worth. 

If  there  is  one  thing  more  than  another  which  will 
degrade  any  business  or  profession  it  is  trying  to 
produce  a  cheap  article.  This  invariably  leads  to- 
wards fraud  and  deception,  and  results  in  general  in- 
jury and  loss.  Where  is  the  dignity  of  the  mechanic 
to-day  as  compared  with  the  past?  This  principle  of 
doing  cheap  work  has  ruined  it,  and  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  get  honest  work  done  by  contract. 

Now  with  regard  to  queen-rearing,  teach  the  mass  of 
bee-keepers  some  way  to  rear  queens  cheaply  in  large 
quantities,  and  the  country  will  be  flooded  with  poor 
and  worthless  queens.  First-class  queens  cannot  be 
reared  and  sold  for  one  dollar,  and  those  who  expect 
to  get  such  queens  for  that  price  will  be  disap- 
pointed. 

Tested  queens  are  those  bred  from  the  best  stock 
and  kept  in  the  apiary  until  the  value  of  their  pro- 
geny regarding  honey-gathering  and  purity  has  been 
thoroughly  determined ;  and  no  queen  should  be 
shipped  as  tested  until  the  above  mentioned  require- 
ments have  been  complied  with.  All  tested  queens 
should  be  graded,  the  best  being  selected  tested.  I 
have  such  an  one  in  my  apiary  for  which  I  should  re- 
fuse one  hundred  dollars. 


58 

SELECTED   QUEENS. 

Selected  queens  are  those  which  give  promise  of 
being  perfect  in  all  respects  before  being  tested. 
When  I  open  a  nucleus  hive  and  find  a  large,  hand- 
some and  prolific  queen,  one  that  is  putting  the  eggs 
in  every  cell  in  exactly  the  same  position,  I  mark 
her  either  selected  or  for  testing ;  and  if  she  is 
shipped  before  she  has  been  kept  long  enough  to  test 
her  progeny  she  is  called  a  selected  queen.  Such 
queens  (all  things  considered)  are  the  cheapest  in  the 
end  for  bee-keepers  generally. 

WARRANTED    QUEENS. 

My  apiaries  are  so  located  and  arranged  that  very 
few  of  the  queens  will  mismate ;  hence  most  of 
the  queens,  sent  out  as  warranted,  prove  to  be 
purely  mated ;  they  are  reared  from  the  best  stock 
and  just  as  carefully  as  the  tested  ones.  The  chances 
are  that  the  purchaser  will  be  well  satisfied  with  the 
warranted  queens,  especially  if  he  be  a  honey-pro- 
ducer, although  I  consider  the  tested  queens  far 
preferable  for  those  who  wish  to  breed  queens. 

DOLLAR    QUEENS. 

As  before  stated,  I  regard  the  production  and 
sale  of  dollar  queens  (so  called)  an  injury  to  api- 
culture and  its  interests.  I  do  not  rear  such,  have 
none  for  sale,  and  advise  the  reader  never  to  purchase 
them  of  any  dealer. 


59 

KOBBINQ  NUCLEI  ;  HOW  PREVENTED. 

When  nuclei  are  kept  in  the  same  yard  with  full 
colonies  there  will  always  be  more  or  less  robbing 
during  scarcity  of  forage,  especially  when  feeding  is 
resorted  to  ;  and  any  apiarist  who  has  once  experi- 
enced wholesale  robbing  in  his  apiary  will  never  for- 
get it.  To  prevent  this,  feed  only  white  sugar  syrup 
as  there  is  no  "enticing  scent"  to  such  plain,  simple 
food. 

Clear  honey  cannot  be  safely  fed,  no  matter  how 
much  precaution  is  taken,  and  should  not  be  used 
even  though  the  honey  costs  nothing  and  sugar  fif- 
teen cents  per  pound. 

I  know  of  nothing  more  discouraging  to  the  queen- 
dealer  (unless  it  be  unfavorable  weather)  than  upon 
examining  his  bees  to  find  the  strong  colonies  robbing 
their  weaker  neighbors  ;  and  as  it  is  not  easily  con- 
trolled when  once  commenced,  every  means  should  be 
used  to  prevent  it,  as  "  an  ounce  of  prevention  is  worth 
a  pound  of  cure."  There  are,  however,  times  when  we 
shall  find  the  bees  robbing  in  spite  of  all  our  precau- 
tion ;  and  there  are  several  plans  either  of  Avhich  may 
be  resorted  to  in  such  cases,  and  unless  this  is  done 
every  nucleus  in  the  apiary  will  be  ruined  in  a  short 
time.  When  a  colony  is  being  robbed,  close  the  en- 
trance at  once  to  keep  the  robbers  in  the  hive  from 
coming  out  and  others  from  entering.  After  giving 
the  robbers  confined  sufiicient  time  to  fill  their  sacs, 
release  them  sprinkling  them  with  flour  as  they  leave 
the  hive  and  trace  them  to  their  home.     The  hive 


60 

being  robbed  should  be  closed  and  opened  repeatedly 
until  all  the  robbers  have  vacated.  Then  give  the 
robbing  colony  a  dose  of  tobacco  smoke,  which  will 
soon  stop  their  marauding  (for  a  while  at  least),  and 
when  they  have  nearly  all  returned  to  the  hive  close 
it  for  a  time  with  one  of  the  screens,  fig.  12,  page 
34  (described  at  end  of  volume),  thereby  checking 
and  preventing  further  robbing. 

If  the  hive  being  robbed  is  queenless  and  reduced 
in  numbers,  it  should  be  removed  to  the  stand  occu- 
pied by  a  stronger  one  (also  queenless),  thus  equal- 
izing them.  I  find  this  method  of  equalizing  nuclei 
a  good  one,  even  when  there  is  ?io  robbing. 

The  entrances  of  the  hives  should  be  protected 
with  a  piece  of  glass  (four  or  more  inches  long  and 
one  inch  wide)  placed  against  them  in  such  a  way 
that  the  bees  can  pass  out  at  either  end,  and  secured 
against  the  hive  with  two  small  tacks. 

If  robbery  is  being  carried  on  to  any  great  extent, 
one  end  may  be  closed  with  a  piece  of  paper ;  and 
if  the  robbers  are  still  persistent,  throw  some  grass 
against  the  glass  in  such  a  way  as  completely  to 
cover  the  entrance. 

The  bees  belonging  to  this  colony  will  find  their 
way  in  or  out  of  the  hive,  while  the  robbers  hesi- 
tate before  forcing  their  way  through  this  barricade  ; 
and  if  they  should  attempt  it,  their  chances  of  escape 
are  few,  for  it  is  not  an  easy  matter  for  them  to  find 
their  way  out  again,  and  the  colony  thus  assailed 
takes  courage,  while  the  sentinel  bees,  with  renewed 
vigor,  seize  upon  the  intruders  as  they  enter,  sting- 


61 

ing  them  before  they  can  escape,  often  defeating 
them.  The  glass  placed  against  the  entrance  in  no 
way  interferes  with  the  queen  or  bees  when  they 
wish  to  pass  out  or  in.  When  feeding  nuclei,  great 
care  should  be  taken  that  the  feeders  do  not  leak, 
and  that  they  are  properly  filled.  If  any  syrup  or 
honey  is  spilled  upon  the  ground,  cover  it  with  earth 
so  deeply  that  the  bees  will  not  discover  it. 

FERTILE  WORKERS. 

One  of  the  greatest  and  most  troublesome  pests  of 
the  apiary  (especially  to  queen-breeders)  are  the 
fertile  workers.  They  are  generally  produced  by 
allowing  a  colony  to  remain  queenless  for  a  long  time, 
appearing  sooner  in  nuclei  than  in  full  colonies. 
Their  presence  is  known  by  drone-brood  in  worker 
cells.  Drones  reared  from  these  eggs  are  invariably 
dwarfed,  and,  in  my  opinion,  incapable  of  fertilizing 
queens.  It  is  quite  difficult  to  introduce  virgin 
queens  to  such  colonies,  although  a  cell  may  be 
safely  given  them  at  any  time.  The  remedy  is  this  : 
place  a  frame  of  well  matured  worker-brood  in  the 
centre  of  the  brood-nest,  and  in  a  few  days  give 
them  a  well  matured  queen-cell,  and  by  the  time  that 
the  brood  is  all  hatched  the  fertile-workers  will  be 
gone. 

When  you  think  a  colony  is  infested  with  them, 
examine  the  combs,  and  if  the  eggs  are  laid  in  a  care- 
less manner,  two,  three,  and  often  more  in  a  cell, 
with    many  cells   passed    by,  and   the    brood  when 


62 

capped  projects  beyond  the  worker-cells,  you  may 
be  sure  that  it  is  some  of  their  work.  It  would 
be  well  to  destroy  all  such  brood  before  giving  the 
colony  a  queen-cell.  Do  not  destroy  the  combs  but 
rather  shave  the  heads  off  with  a  sharp  knife. 


CHAPTER  X. 

ROOM  FOR  TRANSFERRING  AND  HANDLING  BEES. 

In  most  large  apiaries  we  find  bee-houses  in  which 
rooms  are  provided,  adapted  to  this  purpose.  No 
apiary  is  complete  without  one.  The  windows  in  this 
room  should  be  so  arranged  that  all  excepting  one 
can  be  darkened.  To  show  the  advantage  of  such 
a  room  let  us  suppose  that  we  are  transferring ;  all  the 
bees  taking  wing  during  the  operation  will  fly  to 
the  window  which  has  not  been  darkened.  After  the 
work  is  finished,  the  hive  should  be  returned  to  its 
stand  and  the  window  opened  so  that  the  remaining 
bees  can  return  to  it.  If  the  bees  were  brought  from 
a  distance,  the  hives  may  be  placed  on  stands  prepared 
to  receive  them.  In  the  latter  case  I  leave  the  window 
closed  allowing  the  bees  remaining  in  the  room  to 
have  their  own  way.  They  will  cluster  in  one  corner 
of  the  window  and  the  next  morning  they  may  be 
brushed  into  a  box  and  returned  to  the  hive.  Again, 
colonies  contaming  objectionable  drones  may  be  taken 


63 

into  this  room,  the  queens  secured  and  caged,  the 
bees  brushed  into  the  swarming  box,  the  combs  put 
back,  the  hive  returned  to  its  stand  and  the  drones 
screened  out  by  placing  it  at  the  entrance  of  the  hive, 
retaining  them  and  releasing  the  bees  as  described 
on  page  18.  Place  the  caged  queen  in  the  hive  before 
releasing  the  bees  and  then  release  her  as  soon  as 
they  are  quiet.  Use  as  little  tobacco  smoke  as  possible 
during  this  operation,  else  the  bees  will  be  a  long  time 
in  recovering  from  the  effects  and  the  brood  will  thus 
be  unnecessarily  exposed.  In  my  business  I  am 
obliged  to  purchase  black  bees  in  large  quantities  — 
they  are  taken  into  the  bee-room  and  the  drones 
screened  out,  by  the  above  process.  I  could  not  keep 
my  bees  pure  unless  some  such  means  were  adopted 
to  get  rid  of  them,  and  could  not  conduct  my 
business  properly  without  such  a  room.  I  have  every 
thing  conveniently  and  practically  arranged  in  order 
to  simplify  all  necessary  operations ;  always  keeping 
in  view  the  fact  that  "  system  is  one  of  the  most 
prominent  secrets  of  success."  Again,  one  of  the  most 
important  pieces  of  furniture  in  the  room  is  the  honey- 
bench,  which  should  be  permanently  located  in  some 
convenient  part  of  the  room  near  a  window,  as  we 
need  considerable  light  when  cutting  brood  into  the 
frames.  It  should  be  six  feet  long  and  three  feet  wide, 
the  front  being  three  inches  lower  than  the  back,  so 
that  the  honey  may  run  down  into  a  trough  on  the 
front,  thence  through  a  tin  tube  into  some  receptacle 
under  the  bench.  The  height  may  be  arranged  to 
suit  the  operator.     It  should  be  covered  with  zinc  to 


64 

keep  the  wood  from  absorbing  the  honey  and  in  order 
that  it  may  be  cleaned  easily ;  or,  if  zinc  cannot  be 
conveniently  procured,  take  equal  parts  of  beeswax 
and  rosin,  heat  until  hot,  pour  it  upon  the  bench, 
spreading  it  equally  and  burning  it  into  the  wood  with 
a  hot  sad-iron.  The  latter  answers  the  purpose 
equally  well.  All  pieces  of  comb  containing  honey 
may  be  broken  up,  thrown  upon  this  bench  and  left 
until  the  honey  is  drained  out ;  and  all  waste  pieces 
of  comb,  left  from  this  and  other  sources,  should  be 
thrown  into  the  wax-extractor  and  the  wax  rendered 
from  them. 

The  wire-cloth  with  which  the  windows  are  covered 
is  tacked  on  frames  which  are  hinged  so  that  the 
windows  can  be  opened  to  allow  the  bees  to  escape 
when  necessary.  These  screens  prevent  robber  bees 
from  entering  when  forage  is  scarce  and  the  windows 
are  open  to  ventilate  the  room. 

WHAT  TOOLS  ARE  NEEDED. 

It  is  necessary  to  have  a  few  convenient  tools  at 
hand  in  order  to  do  the  work  properly,  including :  a 
carpenter's  shingling  hatchet ;  a  chisel  with  thin  steel 
point  tapering  back  two  inches  from  the  end  for  cutting 
off  nails  in  the  joints  of  box  hives ;  a  small,  light, 
corn  broom,  such  as  is  used  for  brushing  clothes  (I 
find  this  the  best  thing  for  brushing  bees  from  the 
combs)  ;  a  long,  stout  knife  for  cutting  out  combs 
and  a  small  thin  one  (previously  described)  for  cutting 
out  queen-cells  ;  a  liberal  supply  of  water  and  a  towel 


65 

whicharevery  convenient  for  cleansing  the  hands,  when 
transferring  bees  and  extracting  honey,  especially  if 
there  is  new  honey  in  the  combs ;  last,  and  not  least, 
two  smokers,  the  one  a  Bellows  smoker,  the  other 
for  burning  tobacco.  It  is  well  to  have  a  number  of 
pieces  of  board  (kept  in  some  convenient  place)  to  use 
during  transferring,  also  some  cotton  twine  for  fas- 
tening combs  into  the  frames.  The  above  constitutes 
the  necessary  equipment  in  the  shape  of  tools  and 
fixtures  with  which  to  perform  our  mauipuUitions  in 
the  bee-room  properly. 

TRANSFERRING  BEES. 

It  is  quite  an  undertaking  to  the  novice,  especially 
if  he  is  afraid  of  bee  stings,  to  transfer  a  colony  to 
a  frame-hive,  and  his  troubles  seem  greater  if  the 
colony  is  a  large  one,  and  the  weather  quite  warm, 
but  when  the  operation  is  well  understood,  it  is 
quite  simple  and  easy  to  perform.  The  preparations 
for  this  work  need  not  be  ver}'  extensive.  (The  tools 
needed  have  been  previously  described  in  connec- 
tion with  the  bee-room).  If  man}'  colonies  are  to 
be  transferred  the  following  directions  should  be 
noted.  Remove  from  the  bee-room  all  unnecessary 
furniture.  If  the  weather  is  cool  the  room  should  be 
warmed,  so  that  the  brood  will  not  chill,  and  the  bees 
can  be  handled  much  more  easily  with  the  temperature 
about  80°  :  it  is  a  poor  plan  to  handle  them  when 
beloAv  70°.  Take  the  colony  to  be  transferred  into 
the  bee-room,  smoke  the  hees  and  drum  on  the  hive 


66 

a  little  to  cause  them  to  fill  with  honey,  and  invert  the 
hive  on  a  table,  box,  or  anything  that  may  be  con- 
venient. While  the  bottom-board  is  being  removed, 
use  a  little  smoke  to  drive  the  bees  down  among  the 
combs,  and  place  a  box  over  them,  drumming  smartly 
on  the  hive  to  drive  all  the  bees  out  of  it  that  can  be 
made  to  leave.  It  will  make  very  little  difference  to 
the  expert  whether  the  bees  are  first  removed  or  not, 
but  the  novice  will  find  it  much  more  convenient  to 
have  them  all  out  of  the  way,  while  removing  the 
combs.  Now  take  ofi"  the  side  of  the  hives  from  which 
the  combs  can  be  most  easily  removed,  using  a  thin 
chisel  to  cut  the  nails  in  the  joints  before  removing  the 
bottom-board.  The  jarring  thus  caused  answers  the 
same  purpose  as  drumming,  and  by  the  time  that 
the  nails  are  cut  the  bees  are  ready  to  run  out.  Keep 
the  bees  confined  in  the  hive  until  the  bottom-board  is 
ready  to  be  taken  off.  As  the  combs  are  taken  out 
brush  the  bees  into  a  box, —  aLangstroth  hive  cap  will 
answer  the  purpose  equally  M'ell.  If  tobacco  smoke 
is  used  in  this  operation,  the  bees  will  remain  quiet 
for  a  long  time.  If  they  are  disposed  to  run  up  the 
sides  of  the  box  or  fly,  blow  more  smoke  upon  them.'' 
After  the  combs  are  removed  from  the  hive  and 
the  bees  brushed  from  them,  lay  them  flat  on  pieces 
of  board.      If  they  are  crooked  or  wavy  press  them 


'  There  are  many  operations  which  can  be  performed  about  the  apiary 
by  this  means,  which  cannot  be  done  without.  Even  the  filthy  tveed  has  its 
uses  as  well  as  many  things  equally  obnoxious  and  questionable  in  their 
eflfects  on  the  huniau  system.  My  tobacco  smoker,  or  pipe,  works  quite 
handily  here,  as  being  held  in  the  mouth  botli  hands  are  at  liberty  and  but 
Blight  inconvenience  is  experienced  in  handling  it. 


67 

down  smooth,  whether  there  is  brood  in  them  or 
not,  and  then  place  another  board  on  them  to  keep 
them  flat.  This  shonld  be  done  while  the  combs  are 
warm,  as  when  the  combs  are  cnt  into  the  frames  they 
will  stay  in  place  better.  Cut  them  into  the  frames 
as  soon  as  possible  after  they  have  been  removed  from 
the  hive,  placing  them  in  as  they  will  fit  best,  regard- 
less of  the  position  that  they  held  in  the  hive,  being 
careful  not  to  cut  them  too  small  or  so  that  they  will 
fit  but  loosely  in  the  frames. 

I  use  no  stick  or  wires  to  hold  the  combs  in  the 
frames,  cotton  twine  (similar  to  that  used  by  grocers) 
being  better.  There  is  seldom  enough  suitable  brood 
in  a  box-hive  to  fill  more  than  five  frames.  These 
and  two  or  more  empty  combs  should  be  placed  in 
the  hive,  the  bees  turned  in,  the  honey-board,  quilt, 
or  duck-cover  placed  on,  and  the  hive  put  on  the  old 
stand,  or  the  one  which  it  is  to  occupy.  The  bees  re- 
maining in  the  room  should  be  treated  as  before 
described.  In  the  course  of  twenty-four  hours  the 
combs  will  be  securel}'  fastened,  and  the  bees  will 
gnaw  off  the  strings  and  bring  them  out.  I  would 
watch  and  remove  them  as  soon  as  they  appear  at  the 
entrance.  In  a  day  or  two,  more  frames  or  combs 
should  be  given  them.  If  the  colony  is  a  large  one 
put  in  frames  prepared  with  starters,  or  those  filled 
with  foundation,  alternating  them  between  full  combs. 
Frames  of  foundation  {properly  fastened)  may  be 
put  in  when  transferred  if  the  colony  is  a  large  one. 
I  take  the  following  precaution  in  order  to  have  all 
transferred  comb  straight :  after  the  strings  have  been 


.68 

put  around  to  keep  it  in  the  frames,  lay  it  upon  a  flat 
board  letting  the  top-bar  project  over  the  outer  edge, 
then  place  another  perfectly  straight  piece  of  board 
on  the  comb  and  put  your  whole  weight  upon  it.  This 
makes  it  perfectly  straight  within  the  frame.  No 
damage  will  be  done  provided  the  vertical  and  bottom 
pieces  of  the  frame  are  seven-eighths  of  an  inch  wide. 
As  the  comb  is  just  the  same  thickness,  it  will  not  be 
injured  in  the  least.  I  have  practised  the  above  for 
twenty-four  years.  I  consider  good,  straight,  natural 
comb  preferable  to  that  built  from  artificial  foundation, 
and  yet  strongly  recommend  the  general  use  of  comb 
foundation. 

WHEN  TO  TRANSFER. 

Bees  may  be  transferred  at  any  time  during  the 
year  although  it  would  be  unwise  to  do  so  at  all  times. 
I  consider  spring  the  best  time,  just  before  the  flowers 
begin  to  yield  a  good  flow  of  honey,  when  the  bees 
have  the  least  stores,  which  here  in  New  England 
is  about  the  first  of  May.  The  condition  of  the  bees 
and  season  must  govern  in  other  localities.  It  is  a 
more  difficult  and  sticky  operation  and  more  bees 
will  be  lost,  when  the  combs  are  filled  with  new  honey, 
than  when  there  is  but  little  honey  in  the  hive.  I 
generally  select  either  a  cloudy  or  a  rainy  day,  as 
the  bees  will  all  be  at  home  and  we  shall  disturb 
them  the  least.  The  time  required  to  transfer  a 
colony  varies  according  to  the  condition  of  the 
combs. 


69 

UNITING  BEES. 

This  is  a  frequent  and  necessary  operation,  in  large 
apiaries  at  least,  and  an  undertaking  not  always  attend- 
ed with  good  results,  and  quite  frequently  a  hazardous 
one,  especially  to  the  novice.  I  find  the  following 
method  a  good  one  :  prepare  the  bees  by  keeping 
them  queenless  three  days  before  uniting,  confining 
them  in  the  hives,  providing  sufficient  ventilation, 
using  the  screen,  fig.  12,  page  34,  for  this  purpose. 
It  would  be  well  to  put  them  in  a  cool,  dark  room  or 
cellar  during  this  time  as  they  will  remain  much  more 
quiet.  If  there  is  no  brood  in  the  hives  the  bees  may 
be  put  in  the  swarming  box  together,  after  the  queens 
have  been  removed.  They  will  need  feeding  while 
thus  confined.  Use  the  glass-jar  feeder  for  this 
purpose,  placing  it  on  the  wire-cloth  cover.  The 
syrup  should  be  thin,  as  bees  while  thus  confined  need 
a  large  quantity  of  water.  If  the  swarming  box  is 
used,  take  the  bees  three  days  later,  turn  them 
down  in  front  of  the  hive  where  they  are  to  be  located, 
uncage  the  queen  and  let  her  run  in  with  the  bees. 
If  left  in  the  hives,  let  us  suppose  (for  convenience' 
sake)  that  number  one  is  to  be  broken  up  and  united 
with  number  two.  First,  place  an  empty  hive  on  the 
stand  which  number  two  formerly  occupied,  next  give 
the  bees  in  both  a  little  tobacco  smoke,  drumming  on 
the  hives  occasionally  for  ten  minutes  to  cause  them 
to  fill  with  honey.  This  done,  remove  the  combs 
from  number  two,  shake  or  brush  them  down  in  front 
of  the  empty  hive,  and  then  place  the  combs  contain- 


70 

ing  brood  in  also  ;  now  treat  number  one  in  the  same 
manner,  allowins'  the  bees  from  both  to  rim  in  togeth- 
er, thus  thoroughly  mixing  them,  letting  the  queen 
run  in  with  the  bees  as  in  the  former  instance.  Bees 
can  be  united  without  risk  by  the  above  plan.  I  find  it 
difficult  to  unite  blacks  and  Italians  in  any  other  way. 
Bees  seem  to  recognize  each  other  by  scent.  Hence, 
when  two  colonies  have  been  thoroughly  fumigated 
with  the  same  aromatic  material,  they  can  be  easily 
united. 

I  find  it  a  good  plan  to  feed  bees  with  sugar  syrup 
scented  with  peppermint,  or  something  of  the  kind,  for 
several  days  before  uniting  them.  They  will  thus 
become  scented  nearly  alike  as  they  have  partaken  of 
the  same  food.  These  bees  should  be  thoroughly 
shaken  up  and  their  honey  sacs  well  filled  when  united. 
This  tends  toward  keeping  them  good-natured  during 
the  operation.  Well-filled  stomachs  have  a  tendency 
to  soothe  their  combativeness.  This  same  cause  seems 
to  produce  a  like  efiect  upon  human  nature. 

THE    UTILITY    OF    UNITING    BEES. 

There  is  nothing  gained  by  uniting  two  large  col- 
onies in  the  fall,  and  the  operation  would  prove 
worse  than  useless.  If  there  are  a  number  of  weak 
ones  in  the  apiary  it  is  advisable  to  unite  them  by 
putting  two  or  three  in  one  hive,  in  all  cases  retain- 
ing the  best  queen  for  the  colony.  When  two  large 
colonies  are  united,  double  the  stores  will  be  con- 
sumed, and   when   the   bees  are  ready  to  commence 


71 

work  in  the  apiary  such  a  colony  will  contain  only 
about  the  same  quantity  of  bees  it  would  have  had, 
had  none  been  united  with  them,  as  bees  that  are 
united  die  off  rapidly  in  the  spring ;  and  if  one  col- 
ony has  the  bees  of  two  queens  they  will  diminish 
on  this  account  twice  as  rapidly  as  they  will  in  one 
that  has  only  the  bees  from  one  queen.  There  is, 
therefore,  a  disadvantao^e  in  unitino'  two  laro;e  colonies 
in  the  fall. 

UNITING   BEES    IN    SWARMING   TIME. 

There  is  much  to  be  gained  by  uniting  bees  in  the 
swarming  season.  This  would  not  be  advisable  un- 
til the  apiarist  has  as  many  colonies  as  he  wishes  to 
keep.  When  two  swarms  are  to  be  thus  united,  the 
sections  should  be  placed  on  the  hive  immediately, 
and  the  result  will  be  highly  favorable  if  there  is  a 
good  honey  flow  at  the  time.  Swarms  thus  united 
seldom  quarrel ;  the  extra  queens  will  be  disposed 
of  and  business  will  progress  favorably.  I  would 
recommend  the  above  plan  when  the  apiarist  has  all 
the  colonies  that  he  wishes  to  care  for. 


WHEN    AND   HOW   TO   REMOVE    CELLS   FROM   A   COLONY 
THAT  HAS  JUST  CAST  A  SWARM. 

In  case  the  apiarist  is  not  particular  regarding  the 
purity  of  his  stock,  he  can  obtain  queens  to  fill  the 
places  of  old  or  infirm  ones  by  the  following  plan : 


72 

during  the  swarming  season,  prepare  nuclei  and  save 
the  best  cells  built  in  any  of  your  best  Avorking  colo- 
nies, by  cutting  them  out  after  the  swarm  has  issued. 

The  proper  time  for  doing  this  depends  largely 
on  the  time  when  the  bees  swarm.  If  the  weather  is 
pleasant  for  two  days  preceding  this,  the  cells  may 
be  safely  cut  out  the  seventh  day  after;  but  if 
unfavorable  for  several  days  previous,  it  is  quite 
difficult  to  determine  exactly  when  the  cells  are 
sufficiently  matured  to  be  removed,  as  the  colony 
may  have  been  prepared  to  cast  a  swarm  several 
days  before  they  did  so  and  were  prevented  on  ac- 
count of  unfavorable  weather.  Or,  possibly,  they 
may  have  made  every  preparation  to  swarm  during 
the  time  they  were  confined  to  their  hives  by  stormy 
weather,  as  they  often  do.  In  such  case,  the  colony 
should  be  examined  and  one  or  more  cells  opened 
near  the  base,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  as 
near  as  possible  the  age  of  the  embryo  queens ;  and 
if  not  sufficiently  matured  to  be  safely  removed  let 
them  remain  a  few  days  longer. 

In  a  day  or  two  after  the  colony  has  cast  a  swarm 
prepare  nuclei,  and  by  the  sixth  day  cut  out  the 
cells  leaving  one  of  the  best  for  the  parent  stock. 

In  large  apiaries  a  plenty  of  cells  may  be  obtained 
in  this  way,  and  all  the  old  or  infirm  queens  may  be 
superseded  at  any  convenient  time.  I  would  recom- 
mend for  this  purpose  the  small  hives,  fig.  1,  page  4. 

If  the  apiarist  has  a  large  number  of  colonies  and 
wishes  to  keep  his  stock  pure,  he  should  remove  his 
fertilizing  nuclei  half  a  mile  or  more  from  other  bees 


73 

and  place  a  colony  containing  drones  of  snch  strain  as 
he  wishes  to  propagate,  in  the  same  yard  with  them. 
Not  one  queen  in  twenty-five  will  be  impurely  mated, 
notwithstanding  there  may  be  hundreds  of  colonies 
of  impure  bees  within  one  mile  of  them. 


THE  PROPER  AGE  TO  SUPERSEDE  QUEENS. 

In  apiculture,  the  same  as  in  stock-raising,  the 
poultry-business,  and  like  industries,  the  age  which 
completes  usefulness  depends  largely  on  the  amount 
of  labor  performed,  and  we  find  that  the  rule  "that 
all  animated  beings  outlive  their  usefulness"  applies 
equally  well  to  queens.  Hence  I  consider  it  a  good 
idea  to  supersede  them  as  often  as  once  in  two  years. 
A  good,  prolific  queen  will  lay  nearly  her  full  quota 
of  eggs  during  this  time,  especially  under  the  present 
system  of  managing  bees,  and  will  certainly  have 
spent  her  best  days  during  that  period.  It  will  be 
advantageous  to  keep  some  queens  longer,  but  this  is 
the  exception  and  not  the  rule.  Young  and  vigorous 
queens  are  the  profitable  ones,  and  I  do  not  care  to 
keep  old  queens  for  any  purpose.  While  some  claim 
that  the  breeding  queens  should  be  two  years  old,  I 
prefer  those  that  are  young  and  vigorous  for  reasons 
previously  stated.  When  a  queen  is  in  her  second 
year  she  is  in  her  prime  as  queen  mother.  Again, 
the  cost  of  queens  is  so  reasonable,  that  the  expense 
of  often  requeening  a  colony  is  but  trifling  when  com- 
pared with  the  advantage  gained. 


74 
CHAPTER  XI. 

SPRING    AND    FALL    FEEDING. 

Here  in  New  England,  and  in  the  northern  portion 
of  our  country  generally,  we  usually  experience  cold 
and  windy  weather  during  early  spring ;  warm  spring 
weather  begins  late,  the  portion  of  the  season  during 
which  the  surplus  honey  is  gathered,  being  of  short 
duration,  and  the  fall,  during  which  we  must  prepare 
for  winter,  terminates  only  too  soon,  as  early  frosts 
cut  oif  the  late  honey  forage.  From  this  we  draw 
the  following  conclusions  :  first,  unless  colonies  are 
strong  in  numbers  when  the  honey  flow  comes,  a 
large  percentage  will  be  lost ;  secondly,  the  long 
dearth  of  honey  from  the  expiration  of  the  last  flow 
until  winter's  cold  and  chilling  blasts  sweep  over  the 
land,  and  the  hills  and  valleys  are  robed  in  white 
and  our  pets  begin  their  long  rest,  must  be  counter- 
acted by  artificial  means.  The  former  can  only  be 
accomplished  by 

SPRING    FEEDING. 

The  reader  is  well  aware  that  bees  will  start  out 
in  search  of  water  and  pollen  as  soon  as  the  snow 
begins  to  melt  and  disappear,  and  the  first  flowers 
bathe  their  petals  in  the  warm  sunshine  of  early 
spring,  often  being  obliged  to  travel  a  long  distance 
for  both,  the  results  being,  that  thousands  are  lost 
on  their  way  home  ;  in  fact,  it  is  not  unusual  to  see 


75 

the  ground  literally  strewn  with  dead  bees,  ex- 
hausted by  their  long  search  and  struirgles  against  the 
cold  winds,  perishing  almost  within  reach  of  their 
homes. 

In  order  to  counteract  this  begin  building  up  the 
stocks  by  early  breeding,  stimulating  the  bees^  by 
feeding  with  thin  syrup  and  artiticial  pollen ;  and 
when  the  first  honey  flow  comes,  the  colonies  will  be 
literally  boiling  over  with  bees  ready  and  willing  to 
take  advantage  of  it.  The  above  is  especially  im- 
portant to  queen-breeders  as  they  must  have  a  good 
supply  of  early  drones  to  fertilize  early  queens. 
Bees  need  large  quantities  of  water  and  pollen  ;  the 
former  may  be  supplied  in  the  shape  of  the  thin 
syrup  previously  mentioned,  and  I  would  recommend 
for  this  purpose  Locke's  feeder,  described  at  end  of 
volume  ;  the  latter  by  placing  boxes  containing  wheat 
floui-^  (with  a  piece  of  comb  placed  in  it  upon  which 
they  may  alight)  in  some  warm,  sheltered  portion 
of  the  apiary.  Reason  and  experience  have  taught 
me  that  they  will  accept  and  make  good  use  of  this 
substitute  for  the  natural  pollen  to  the  extent  that 
they  work  on  it,  flying  to  and  fro  between  the  box 
and  hives  in  perfect  clouds,  filling  the  air  with  the 
music  of  their  busy  hum  and  continuing  until  the 
natural  yield  is  abundant.     It  is  quite  pleasing  and 


»  For  spring  stimulating,  the  food  should  be  placed  directlj-  over  and  in 
immediate  connection  with  the  cluster,  so  that  it  is  accessible  to  the  bees 
in  the  coolest  weather. 

•  I  have  foiiml  that  wheat  flour  is  the  best  substitute  for  natural  pollen, 
as  the  bees  can  carry  a  larger  amount  of  it  into  the  hive  in  a  given  time 
than  of  any  other. 


76 

interesting  to  watch  them  when  at  work  on  the  wheat 
flour,  tumbling  over  each  other  in  their  hurried 
efibrts  to  make  the  most  of  their  time,  and  rolling 
up  and  packing  their  loads  on  their  legs. 


THE    AMOUNT  OF  FOOD    TO    GIVE    EACH    DAY. 

In  no  case  would  I  give  any  colony  over  one-half 
pound  of  syrup  unless  they  were  short  of  stores. 
In  such  cases  give  two  or  three  pounds  to  com- 
mence with  as  a  cold  spell  might  set  in  and  the  bees 
starve  rather  than  leave  the  brood  to  obtain  food. 
Feeding  should  be  discontinued  just  as  soon  as  they 
begin  to  gather  honey  from  the  flowers.  I  generally 
give  them  all  the  wheat  flour  they  will  carry  in. 
They  will  stop  working  on  it  when  the  natural  pol- 
len becomes  abundant.  Colonies  properly  stimulated 
will  be  certainly  ten  days  in  advance  of  those  allowed 
to  build  up  in  the  natural  way.  The  fall  honey  dearth 
(previously  referred  to)  may  be  counteracted  by 


FALL   FEEDING. 

It  is  not  generally  necessary  to  resort  to  feeding  in 
the  fall,  except  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the  bees 
with  necessary  winter  supplies. 

For  this  purpose  an  entirely  difi*erent  quality  of 
food  and  method  of  feeding  must  be  adopted.  Late 
feeding  sometimes  pays,  but  generally  those  fed  later 


77 

than  September  20  (here  in  the  north)  will  not  win- 
ter well ;  hence,  all  the  necessary  supply  should  be 
given  before  that  date  and  sealed  over  before  cold 
weather  sets  in  and  drives  the  bees  from  the  outer  to 
the  centre  combs.  If  not,  the  syrup  will  not  be  sealed 
before  spriug  and  will  sour  and  ferment,  rumiing  out 
of  the  cells  and  besmearing  the  combs,  and  when  spring 
opens  they  are  mouldy  and  damp.  If  there  is  one  thing 
more  than  another  that  the  bees  dislike,  it  is  to  have 
the  combs  in  the  above  condition,  and  if  obliged  to  eat 
the  sour  syrup  before  spring,  it  is  almost  certain 
death  to  them,  unless  the  weather  is  so  favorable 
that  they  can  fly  out  often.  I  would  recommend 
early  fall  feeding  when  it  is  not  advisable  to  unite 
the  colonies. 

FOUL   BROOD. 

It  is  exceedingly  fortunate  that  the  honey-bee  is 
subject  to  few  diseases,  else  the  business  of  apiculture 
might  be  very  precarious  ;  but  as  it  is,  a  person  can  be- 
gin the  occupation  of  bee-keeping  with  the  assur- 
ance that  a  good  hive  and  locality,  together  with 
careful  management,  will  prove,  to  say  the  least,  as 
sure  and  remunerative  as  any  other  occupation  with 
the  same  investment  of  capital. 

There  is  one  dread  scourge,  however,  that  at  times 
infests  an  apiary,  whose  ravages  are  so  fearful  that 
a  short  article  may  well  be  written  in  regard  to  it. 
I  refer  to  foul  brood. 

The  origin  of  this  disease  is  as  yet  unknown,  and 


78 

its  history  obscure ;  many  theories  in  regard  to  it 
have  been  written,  none  of  which  however  have  as 
yet  been  proved,  and  all  seem  to  exist  in  the  im- 
agination of  their  authors. 

I  propose  to  give  a  description  of  this  disease,  the 
means  that  have  heretofore  been  used  to  attempt  a 
cure,  and  the  plan  I  should  adopt  to  eradicate  it 
should  it  show  itself  in  my  own  apiary. 

Foul  brood  is  the  most  fatal  to  bees  of  all  other 
diseases.  It  is  a  disease  of  the  larvas  only ;  the 
sealed  brood  die  in  the  cells  producing  a  most  intol- 
erable stench,  which  of  itself  would  be  sufficient  to 
one  who  had  ever  seen  a  case  to  recognize  it  again, 
as  it  may  be  perceived  at  some  distance  from  the  hive. 

HOW  TO  DETECT  FOUL  BROOD. 

Upon  opening  a  hive  infected  with  this  disease  the 
cappings  of  the  cells  are  found  to  be  of  a  dark, 
yellowish  brown,  depressed  in  the  centre,  and  usually 
with  a  small  hole  the  size  of  the  point  of  a  pin  in  the 
centre  of  the  caps.  Upon  opening  the  cells  the  brood 
is  found  dead,  partially  decayed,  moist  and  slimy 
in  form,  and  emitting  a  noisome  stench  such  as  no 
other  cause  can  produce.  On  its  first  appearance  a 
few  cells  only  may  be  found  affected  ;  but  if  allowed 
to  go  on  without  anything  being  done,  in  a  short  time 
every  cell  of  brood  will  be  found  contaminated,  and 
ere  long  the  colony  will  die  out  for  want  of  young 
bees  to  replenish  it ;  and  not  only  this,  but  unless 
active  means  are  at  once  taken,  every  colony  within 


79 

flight  range  will  be  certainly  and  surely  afiected  also. 
No  half-way  measures  should  be  taken,  but  active 
means  adopted  if  one  desires  to  be  rid  of  this  ter- 
rible pestilence.  As  this  scourge  affects  the  larvab 
only,  the  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  remove  the 
queen,  for  when  we  stop  the  production  of  brood, 
Ave  so  far  check  the  further  growth  of  the  disease. 

Attempts  to  cure  this  disease  by  means  of  disin- 
fectants have  utterly  failed.  The  hive,  frames  and 
comb  have  been  thoroughl}'^  sprayed  and  washed  with 
chlorinated  soda  and  other  purifying  agents  with  no 
avail,  and  the  disease  was  until  recently  pronounced 
positively  incurable.  The  recent  discovery  of  sal- 
icylic acid,  it  is  now  claimed,  has  produced  a  means 
of  curing  this  disease  and  eradicating  it  from  a  hive. 
I  have  never  seen  it  tried  and  have  little  faith  in  it  as 
a  means  of  cure,  especially  in  the  hands  of  the  in- 
experienced, and  do  not  recommend  its  use.  One 
thing  is  fortunate,  the  queen  may  be  used  again 
as  it  has  been  fulh'  proved  that  she  does  not  carry 
the  disease. 

If  my  apiary  were  infected  with  this  disease,  I 
should  remove  the  queen  from  every  infected  colony, 
and  at  once  utterly  and  totally  burn  and  destroy  every 
trace  and  vestige  of  hive,  frame  and  comb,  even  going 
so  far  as  to  burn  up  the  stand  upon  which  the  hive 
containing  the  infected  colony  was  placed. 

The  disease  is  known  to  be  of  fungous  growth, 
and  the  infinitesimal  spores  are  carried  from  one  hive 
to  another  on  the  legs  or  bodies  of  the  bees,  or  may 
be  conveyed  into  a  hive  by  means  of  feeding  con- 


80 

taminated  honey ;  hence  the  necessity  of  utterly  de- 
stroying everything  concerning  which  a  suspicion  of 
contamination  exists. 

If  any  one  desires  to  attempt  a  cure  of  this  scourge^ 
he  will  find  in  a  little  book  written  by  Mr.  Muth, 
entitled  "Helps  and  Hints,"  his  plan  of  cure  and  the 
means  which  he  adopts,  by  the  use  of  salicylic  acid  ; 
but  for  myself  I  do  not  think  it  will  prove  a  paying 
experiment,  for  I  should  fear  to  find  the  disease 
breaking  out  anew  season  after  season,  unless  I  to- 
tally eradicated  it  in  the  beginning. 

FIRE,    THE    BEST    MEANS    OF    CURE. 

Fire  will  certainly  destroy  every  vestige  of  the 
pestilence,  and  is  the  only  known  means  as  yet  of 
so  destroying  it.  I  would  therefore  advise  all,  who 
find  their  hives  infected,  not  to  delay  an  instant,  but 
at  once  proceed  to  make  a  bonfire,  and  be  sure  that 
everything  connected  with  the  apiary  which  has  been 
exposed  is  totally  burned.  The  virulence  of  this  dis- 
ease is  such  that  it  can  be  carried  from  one  colony  to 
another  upon  the  hands  of  the  operator ;  so  one  must 
be  exceedingly  careful  to  cleanse  thoroughly  the 
hands  and  all  tools  used  upon  a  suspected  hive,  be- 
fore operating  upon  one  known  to  be  disinfected. 

If  one  thinks  my  plan  is  too  severe,  he  certainly 
has  my  permission  to  use  any  other  that  he  chooses, 
but  may  rest  assured  that  by  so  doing  he  will  find 
plenty  of  time  in  which  to  repent,  and  I  fear  will 
wish  he  had  repented  first. 


81 

The  apiarist  should  keep  a  watchful  eye  and  ever 
be  on  tlie  alert  for  indications  of  this  disease,  Avhen 
examining  the  combs  of  his  colonies.  I  seldom  open 
a  hive  for  any  purpose  without  carefully  examining 
each  comb  of  brood  to  see  if  there  is  any  trace  of 
this  dread  disease.  Although  it  is  sixteen  years  since 
it  existed  in  my  apiary,  I  have  not  forgotten  my  ex- 
perience in  that  line. 

If  even  one  infected  cell  is  found,  the  colony  in 
which  it  appears  should  be  isolated  three  miles  at 
least  from  the  other  apiaries.  If  only  a  few  cells  are 
infected  I  would  cut  them  out,  taking  with  them 
one  square  inch  of  the  adjoining  comb,  and  burn 
them  immediately. 

In  adopting  my  remedy  it  will  not  be  necessary 
to  destroy  the  combs  and  honey.  The  hive  should 
be  consigned  to  ashes,  but  the  combs  and  honey  may 
be  preserved ;  only  great  care  must  be  taken  that 
the  bees  do  not  have  access  to  it,  as  the  disease 
would  spread  rapidly  and  every  colony  in  the  yard 
would  soon  become  infected.  The  hone}^  may  be 
"  strained  out,"  and  clarified  by  heating  for  several 
hours  in  a  vessel  placed  in  water  and  the  combs 
melted  into  wax.  Do  not  then  give  it  back  to 
the  bees.  There  might  not  be  any  danger  of  com- 
municating the  disease  by  so  doing,  but  with  my 
experience  the  risk  is  considerable,  and  no  apiarist 
can  afford  to  trifle  with  a  disease  so  contagious  and 
so  devastating. 

There  may  be  some  remedy  that  will  temporarily 
check  its  ravages,  but  as  a  positive  cure  I  cannot 
6 


82 

have  any  faith  in  it  whatever.  If  you  have  this  dis- 
ease in  3'onr  apiary  tlestroy  every  infected  colony  at 
once,  even  though  they  all  have  to  be  sacrificed  in 
order  to  rid  the  bee-yard  of  it. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

WINTERING  BEES. 

Probably  no  subject  has  ever  been  presented  to 
the  bee-keeping  fraternity  for  consideration,  of  more 
-weighty  importance,  or  u})on  wliich  success  in  apicul- 
ture more  largely  depends  than  the  above.  The 
apiarist  is  often  favored  with  long  and  apparently 
exhaustive  essays  upon  it,  and  it  has  been  thoroughly 
discussed  both  through  our  journals  and  at  our  con- 
ventions ;  yet  it  remains,  apparently,  an  unsettled 
matter,  and  we  still  hear  reports  every  spring,  from 
different  parts  of  the  country,  of  heav}'-  losses  in 
Avintering.  I  do  not  claim  to  have  solved  this  prob- 
lem, but  merely  intend  to  add  my  opinion  and  ex- 
perience to  Avhat  has  already  been  said.  It  is  gen- 
erally conceded  by  a  large  number  of  our  best  bee 
masters  that  the  proper  place  to  winter  bees  is  on  the 
summer  stands,  and  in  this  I  agree  with  them.  This 
method  is  being  generally  adopted.  In  order  that  the 
bees  may  winter  well  on  summer  stands,  they  must 
be   properly  prepared    in   the   fall.      Double-walled 


83 

hives  are  a  necessity  in  our  northern  climate ;  and  I 
do  not  consider  chaff- packing  of  any  consequence 
whatever,  a  dead-air  space  between  the  outer  and 
inner  walls  being  all  that  is  needed.  A  colony  should 
have  twenty-five  pounds  or  more  of  honey  (mostly 
sealed)  to  winter  on.  Be  sure  that  they  have  young 
and  vigorous  queens  in  the  fall,  and  are  strong  and 
populous  the  first  of  October. 

I  do  not  consider  upward  ventilation  necessary 
when  bees  are  prepared  as  follows  :  place  two  sticks 
crosswise  over  the  tops  of  the  frames  about  four 
inches  from  the  ends,  tw^o  more  lengthwise  five  inches 
apart,  resting  them  on  the  former,  cover  this  with  some 
bagging  or  other  coarse  cloth  and  place  the  chaff 
cushion  over  it.  Early  in  October,  bore  a  one-inch 
auger  hole  three  inches  down  from  the  top  and  half- 
way between  the  front  and  back  of  the  hive,  take  a 
stick  one-half  inch  square  and  twenty-four  inches 
long,  pointed  at  one  end,  and  slowly  twist  it  through 
the  combs  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  brood-nest,  thus 
making  a  clean  winter  passage  for  the  bees.  Very 
few  bees  will  be  killed  b}'  this  operation,  and  in  all 
m}'  experience,  I  never  have  killed  a  queen  while 
doing  it. 

Set  the  hive  two  or  three  feet  above  the  ground  so 
that  it  will  be  out  of  the  way  of  the  snow.  I  have 
found  that  where  the  snow  was  banked  against  single- 
walled  hives  the  bees  were  nearly  all  dead,  the  frost, 
cutting  in  through  the  snow  and  ice  and  penetrating 
several  inches  into  them.  A  board  should  be  placed 
in  front  of  the  hive  to  shield  it  from  the  sun.    Now  if 


84 

the  bees  can  have  a  flight  during  the  month  of  Febru- 
ary the>^  Avill  generally  -winter  successfully.  A  few 
bees  will  be  lost  in  the  snow  but  they  may  as  well  die 
there  as  in  the  hive,  but  they  should  not  be  permitted 
to  fly  unless  the  glass  stands  at  50^  in  the  shade,  and 
the  weather  very  calm.  If  they  cannot  fly  once  during 
the  winter  they  will  not  come  through  well.  All  the 
theories  about  dry  fceces  and  other  nonsensical  talk 
will  pass  for  what  it  is  worth.  Plenty  of  sealed 
honey,  thorough  packing,  and  a  good  fly  once  or  twice 
during  the  winter,  are  the  plain  common-sense  re- 
quirements Avhich  insure  us  good,  strong  colonies  in 
the  spring.  Lacking  these,  we  shall  find  ourselves 
with  many  empty  hives  and  perhaps  many  weak 
colonies  when  spring  opens. 

SUGGESTIONS    ON    CELLAR   WINTERING. 

As  my  ideas  of  cellar  wintering  differ  from  those  of 
most  bee-keepers,  I  will  describe  my  method.  I  think 
that  where  bees  are  wintered  in  cellars,  spring  dwin- 
dling may  be  prevented  by  the  following  plan  :  leave 
them  on  the  summer  stands  until  about  December  1, 
then  carry  them  into  the  cellar  and  close  it.  This 
will,  of  course,  warm  them  up.  In  the  course  of 
ten  days  I  would  open  the  cellar  some  cold  night  and 
run  the  temperature  down  to  about  25°  above  zero, 
allowing  it  to  remain  so  about  twelve  hours  or  until  the 
bees  are  thoroughly  cooled  oflf.  I  would  then  raise 
the  temperature  to  about  35°  or  40°  keeping  it  at  that 
point  for  a  week  or  10  days,  then  gradually  lower  it 


85 

again,  and  so  on  through  the  winter.  This  would 
give  the  ceHar  a  temperature  that  would  conform  to 
that  out-of-doors,  but  the  advantage  would  be  in  not 
having  such  extreme  low  temperature  in  the  cel- 
lar. The  long-continued  cold  spells  both  in  winter 
and  spring  are  one  great  cause  of  loss  in  winter- 
ing and  spring  dwindling.  Colonies  that  are  put  in 
the  cellar  in  November  before  the  cold  weather  sets  in, 
and  kept  there  until  late  in  the  spring,  are  those  which 
dwindle  after  being  placed  upon  the  summer  stands* 
The  bees  are  often  permanently  removed  from  the 
the  cellar  in  April,  and  in  our  northern  climate 
especially,  the  temperature  frequently  runs  as  low  as 
10^  above  zero  daring  this  month.  I  have  seen  it 
stand  at  28^  above  as  late  as  the  tenth  of  May.  This 
is  very  unftivorable  for  bees  that  were  wintered  in 
cellars  or  repositories. 

SHOULD  THE  HIVES  FACE  NORTH  OR  SOUTH  ? 

It  is  the  usual  custom  and  practice  to  face  the  hives 
toward  the  south,  and  while  there  are  some  good 
reasons  why  they  should  face  this  way,  yet  there  are 
equally  as  good  reasons  wh}'  they  should  not. 

During  the  hard  winters  of  1879  and  1880  a  large 
portion  of  the  bees  in  the  northern  states  perished  on 
account  of  the  severit}^  of  the  weather,  and  long 
confinement  to  the  hives  with  no  opportunity  for  a 
cleansinsr  flio:ht. 

I  have  a  bee-keeping  friend  who  had  twelve  good 
colonies  the  fall  previous,  which  were  in  a  bee-house. 


86 

six  of  them  facing  the  south  and  six  the  north,  and 
all  those  facinfr  the  south  died  while  those  facing:  the 
north  came  through  all  right,  and  in  fine  condition. 
Now  what  is  the  philosophy  of  this  ? 

My  opinion  is  that  although  the  bitter  cold  weather 
confined  the  bees  to  the  hives  through  many  long 
months,  yet  the  warm  sun,  striking  on  the  south  side 
of  the  building,  warmed  up  the  fronts  of  the  hives 
facing  that  way,  inducing  the  bees  to  fly  at  unfavorable 
times,  few  of  which  ever  returned,  and  in  this  way 
the  colonies  were  gradually  reduced  in  numbers  until 
the  few  remaining  bees  perished. 

On  the  contrary,  the  bees  facing  tire  north  were  not 
thus  enticed  to  leave  the  hives,  but  remained  quiet 
until  the  weather  was  warm  enough  to  insure  a  good 
cleansing  flight  and  a  safe  return  ;  consequently  they 
were  strong  in  numbers  and  came  out  well  in  the 
spring. 

Hives  that  face  the  south  should  be  kept  well  shaded 
from  the  sun  ;  boards  may  be  placed  against  the  front 
of  them  for  this  piu'pose. 

When  bees  are  confined  to  the  hives  for  several 
months  and  are  about  to  die  for  want  of  a  cleansing 
flight ;  the  least  disturbance  will  cause  the  loss  of  large 
numbers  of  them,  hence  they  should  be  kept  perfectly 
quiet  until  some  warm,  pleasant  day  when  the  boards 
should  be  removed  from  the  fronts  and  the  bees  have 
a  good  flight. 

Colonies  that  stand  in  warm,  sheltered  locations, 
facing  south,  will  fly  out  as  the  sunshine  warms  up 
the  front  of  the  hive  slightly,  even  when  the  glass 


87 

indicates  a  temperature  several  degrees  below  the 
freezing  point,  wliile,  if  the  hives  faced  the  north, 
they  would  not  attempt  to  fly. 


DOES   LIKE    PRODUCE    LIKE? 

Those  who  purchase  dollar  queens  intending  to  use 
them  for  breeding  queens  have  been  badly  disap- 
pointed in  many  instances.  They  expected  that  such 
queens  would  produce  all  three-banded  workers,  and 
that  all  the  young  queens  would  be  duplicates  of  the 
mother.  All  queens  should  be  pure  as  far  as  mating 
is  concerned,  as  no  queen-breeder,  who  is  a  muster  of 
apiculture  and  who  means  to  deal  honestly,  will  per- 
mit drones  of  several  races  in  or  near  any  one  of  his 
fertilizing  apiaries,  as  this  can  and  shoidd  be  pre- 
vented ;  nevertheless,  hundreds  of  untested  queens 
may  be  sent  out  which  will  be  pronounced  impurely 
mated,  when  in  reality  they  have  heen  purely  mated. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  among  stock-breeders  that 
the  progeny  of  prize  stock  will  not  always  show  all 
the  markings  and  qualities  of  the  original  :  for  in- 
stance, when  breeding  from  imported  stock  of  the 
famous  Jersey  herd  of  cattle,  the  young  cows  quite 
often  fail  to  prove  as  handsomely  formed,  as  clearly 
outlined  or  as  good  milkers  and  butter  producers  as 
their  mothers,  and  yet  they  are  pure  and  valuable. 
Again,  with  horses,  the  dam  may  be  perfect  in  every 
respect,  and  the  sire  of  the  choicest,  and  both  have 
a  2  ;  22  record  as  trotters,  and  yet  it  is  only  occasion- 


88 

ally  that  their  colts  prove  as  valuable  or  make  as 
good  a  record  as  their  parents.  These  comparisons 
may  be  indefinitely  extended. 

This  law  holds  good  throughout  nature,  and  ap- 
plies equally  as  well  to  queen-rearing ;  and  the  apia- 
rist, who  thinks  that  he  can  enter  it  without  a  thorough 
knoAvledge  of  it,  and  produce  first-class  queens  aud 
those  that  will  duplicate  themselves  and,  at  the  same 
time,  compete  successfully  with  experienced  breeders, 
mistakes  his  calling. 

It  is  only  by  the  best  selection  of  stock  and  most 
careful  breeding,  that  queens  will  be  reared  which 
will  produce  daughters  as  perfect  in  all  respects  as 
themselves,  and  no  queen-breeder  will  part  with  such 
a  queeu  for  a  small  sum. 

When  a  customer  purchases  an  untested  queen,  he 
takes  his  chances  regarding  her  value  ;  if  she  prove 
equal  to  the  mother  he  has  obtained  a  valuable  queen  ; 
but  if,  on  the  contrary,  her  progeny  is  poorly  marked 
(and  for  this  reason  pronounced  hybrid),  it  is  simply 
a  freak  of  nature  and  not  a  concocted  plan  of  the 
dealer  to  cheat  his  customer. 

No  breeder  can  possibly  determine  how  valuable 
the  progeny  of  his  untested  queens  will  prove  ;  never- 
theless, if  he  understands  his  business  he  wiU  know 
that  every  precaution  has  been  taken  in  breeding  and 
keeping  them  pure,  and  nature  must  decide  the  rest. 

I  have  had  customers  write  me  that  the  queens 
received  were  impure  and  that  I  must  have  black 
drones  in  the  apiary  ;  I  must  confess  that  such  re- 
ports are  rather  discouraging. 


89 

I  well  remember  the  history  of  the  first  Italian 
queen  that  I  purchased  of  'Slv.  Parsons  twenty-three 
years  ago  ;  out  of  twenty-six  queens  reared  in  the  first 
lot,  only  two  were  duplicates  of  the  mother.  Well,  the 
queen  purchased  of  ]\Ir.  Parsons  M'as  reared  for  him 
by  one  of  the  most  experienced  and  honest  apiarists 
in  the  country,  but  it  was  no  fault  of  his  ;  the  trouble 
was  with  the  imported  queen  sent  him.  And  this  is 
a  fair  sample  of  all  imported  queens. 

It  was  many  years  after  this  before  queens  could 
be  produced  or  procured  which  would  duplicate 
themselves,  and  I  never  had  any  until  I  produced 
them  myself  by  careful  selection  and  more  careful 
breeding. 

Before  leaving  this  subject,  I  Avish  to  state  that 
every  apiarist  Avishing  to  procure  the  best  stock 
should  forever  banish  the  idea  that  he  will  find  it  in 
the  shape  of  cheap  queens,  bred  by  the  novice  or  in 
a  careless  manner,  and  also  that  the  tested  queen  is 
the  only  proper  one  to  purchase  from  which  to 
breed. 

PARTHENOGENESIS. 

The  theory  of  parthenogenesis,  as  applied  to  the 
honey-bee,  viz.  :  that  the  eggs  of  a  virgin  queen  will 
hatch,  and  that  the  product  thereof  will  invariably  be 
drones,  was  first  taught  by  Dzierzon  some  fifty  years 
ago,  and  although  for  awhile  it  had  many  opponents, 
it  has  now  become  a  well  admitted  and  established 
fact  in  bee-culture,  and  he  who  disputes  it  shows  that 
he  is  either  wilfully  or  ignorantly  obstinate. 


90 

Were  the  honey-bee  the  only  example  of  this 
peculiar  state  of  things  existing  in  nature,  doubts  in 
regard  to  its  truth  would  be  more  excusal)le,  and  a 
much  greater  cause  for  wonder  and  conjecture  ;  but 
when  we  find  that  many  others  of  the  inferior  order 
of  creation  are  subject  to  the  same  law,  we  have  no 
reason  to  doubt  in  regard  to  our  bees.  Why  this  should 
be  so,  we  do  not  understand,  but  the  all-wise  Creator 
had  some  wise  end  in  view,  presumably,  that  when  a 
worn-out  queen  is  superseded  at  a  time  when  no  drones 
exist  ill  the  hive,  the  virgin  queen  thus  produced  may 
be  able  to  raise  drones  for  her  own  fertilization,  in 
order  that  the  colony  may  not  become  extinct  as  it 
otherwise  would. 

Another  theory  has  been  advanced  in  this  con- 
nection:  "that  the  pure  queen,  however  mated,  must 
produce  a  pure  drone  of  her  own  variety."  This 
theory  I  cannot  accept.  It  is  well  known  among 
breeders  of  horses,  cattle,  etc.,  that  if  a  female  of 
one  breed  mates  with  a  male  of  another,  that  such 
female  never  again  produces  her  like  in  absolute  purity. 
So  with  our  domestic  fowls.  If  a  pure  white  leghorn 
pullet  mates  but  once  with  a  black  Spanish  cock,  her 
chicks  ever  afterwards  are  liable  to  show  an  occasional 
black  feather.  With  the  mammals  it  may  be  said  such 
impurity  is  caused  by  carrying  the  young  in  the  uterus, 
and  thus  the  blood  becomes  impregnated  with  the 
blood  of  the  sire  ;  but  with  the  fowl,  such  cannot  be 
the  case,  and  the  impurity  must  be  caused  by  absorp- 
tion of  the  male  semen.  If  such  is  the  case  with  fowl, 
why  is  it  not  so  with  the  queen  bee?     This  I  know  is 


91 

only  reasoning  from  analogy,  but  the  presumption  is 
that  such  reasoning  is  correct ;  at  least  it  shows  it  to 
be  possible  if  not  highly  probable,  and  in  the  matter 
of  the  purity  of  our  queens  we  want  no  question  of 
possibilities  even. 

I  advise,  therefore,  all  who  wish  to  keep  their  stock 
absolutely  pure,  to  allow  no  drones  from  hybridized 
queens  any  chance  to  mate  with  such  queens  as  they 
desire  to  rear  to  breed  Irom,  if  they  expect  to  keep 
their  stocks  absolutely  pure;  I  would  as  soon  send, 
as  purely  mated,  a  known  hybridized  queen,  as  one 
mated  with  such  a  drone. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

KEEPING  BEES    FOR    PLEASURE    AND    PROFIT. 

There  are  about  eighty  thousand  bee-keepers  now 
in  the  United  States  ;  were  there  twenty  times  as 
many  engaged  in  that  occupation,  there  would  still  be 
room  and  forage  for  as  many  more.  Thousands  of 
tons  of  honey  go  to  waste  every  year  simply  because 
there  are  no  bees  kept  to  gather  and  store  it. 

Hundreds  are  prevented  from  taking  up  this  occu- 
pation by  dread  of  the  sting  of  the  bee,  who  otherwise 
would  gladly  enter  into  it.  I  cannot  say  that  it  was 
not  the  intention  of  "Him  who  created  all  things,"  to 
prevent  too  large  a   propagation  of  this  insect,  by 


92 

giving  it  so  powerful  a  weapon,  but  it  was  given  for 
some  wise  purpose  and  this  is  perhaps  that  purpose. 

It  is  well  known  that  thousands  of  insects  visit  flow- 
ers, both  day  and  night,  in  search  of  honey  and  pollen, 
and  that  this  same  honey  and  pollen  are  secreted  in  the 
flowers  to  attract  these  insects  thither.  For  what  rea- 
son are  these  insects  thus  attracted  ?  Simply  that  they 
may  carry  the  fertilizing  principle  from  one  flower  to 
another,  and  thus  cause  a  yield  of  grains  and  fruits, 
where  otherwise  sterility  would  be  the  result;  and 
were  it  not  for  this  secretion  of  nectar  the  bees  would 
not  be  attracted  to  the  flowers,  and  consequently  this 
fertilizing  would  not  be  performed. 

In  seasons  Avhen  the  flowers  are  abundant,  only  a 
small  part  of  the  honey  is  gathered  from  them  that 
might  be,  were  the  bees  on  hand  to  collect  it. 

The  flowof  honey  depends  much  upon  the  state  of  the 
atmosphere  ;  far  more  so  than  it  does  upon  the  quan- 
tity of  flowers  in  the  fields  and  woods.  I  have  seen 
the  fields  white  with  clover  blossoms,  and  still  found 
no  honey  being  secreted  in  them,  on  account  of  the 
state  of  the  weather,  and  have  seen  bees  starving 
when  the  trees  were  in  full  bloom,  but  the  weather  was 
such  that  they  could  not  leave  the  hives  in  search  of 
forage;  when,  by  a  simple  change  of  the  wind  from 
east  to  west,  there  would  be  more  honey  secreted  than 
the  bees  could  by  any  possibility  collect. 

Here,  in  New  England,  near  the  seacoast,  we  are 
troubled  with  east  and  northeast  winds  nearly  all  the 
time  during  May  and  June ;  this  is  unfortunate  for 
us,  as  the  bees  can  do  but  little  at  such  times  ;  notwith- 


93 

standing  this  fact,  large  crops  of  honey  have  been 
gathered  here.  About  four  years  in  five,  bees  will, 
in  any  locality,  pay  a  handsome  profit  on  the  capital 
invested.  The  weather  in  all  parts  of  the  country  is 
a  serious  drawback  to  bee-keepers,  and  is  about  the 
only  thing  that  the  ingenuity  of  man  cannot  control 
so  far  as  apiculture  is  concerned. 

Thousands  of  people  are  engaged  in  bee-keeping 
in  the  United  States,  who  give  their  whole  time  and 
attention  to  the  business,  while  there  can  be  found  in 
most  every  towushlp  a  number  who  keep  a  few  bees 
for  pleasure,  and  to  supply  their  tables  with  pure 
honey. 

WHO  SHOULD  KEEP  BEES. 

People  who  are  incapacitated  from  hard  labor  may 
keep  bees,  for  -while  there  is  much  hard  work  to  be 
done  in  a  large  apiary,  it  does  not  compare  with  the 
labor  required  in  farming.  The  most  that  is  required 
in  bee-keepiug  is  to  do  what  is  needed  just  ichen  it 
is  needed,  and  not  put  ofi"  for  a  moment  the  thing 
that  is  required  to  be  done. 

Men  well  advanced  in  3'ears  can  adopt  bee-keeping 
as  a  means  of  employment,  with  nmch  pleasure  as 
well  as  profit.  The  business  can  also  be  well  adopted 
as  an  auxiliary  to  some  other  light  emploj^ment,  and 
a  profit  made  in  both,  Avhere  either  alone  would  not 
prove  sufficiently  remuuerative. 

When  only  a  few  bees  are  kept,  the  time  required 
to  care  for  them  would  take  but  a  small  portion  of 


94 

the  day,  except  during  the  swarming  season  and  the 
honey  harvest. 

Professional  men,  such  as  clergymen,  doctors  and 
hiwyers  can  keep  bees,  with  pleasure  and  profit,  and 
thus  obtain  a  large  amount  of  recreative  exercise ; 
mechanics,  although  seldom  at  home,  can  keep  a  few 
colonies,  as  they  can  do  all  the  work  required,  before 
and  after  their  daily  toil,  and  thus  add  a  few  dollars 
to  their  revenue,  and  at  the  same  time,  profitably  and 
pleasantly  employ  their  leisure  moments. 

Ladies  can  keep  bees  as  well  as  men  ;  in  fact,  there 
are  hundreds  of  ladies  now  engaged  in  bee-culture, 
who  find  it  a  healthful  and  remunerative  occupation. 
They  soon  learn  to  handle  l)ees,  and  there  is  nothing 
about  the  business  but  what  is  perfectly  proper  for  a 
lady  to  attend  to  or  engage  in. 

No  one  should  engage  in  bee-keeping,  however, 
who  has  not  made  up  his  mind  to  read  carefully,  study 
hard,  and  think  deeply.  Success  ma}'  for  a  time  follow 
the  ignorant  or  careless,  but  ere  long  failure  will  be 
the  inevitable  result.  Those  of  our  bee-keepers  who 
have  studied  and  labored  the  hardest,  and  given  the 
most  thought  to  the  subject,  have  invariably  been  the 
most  successful.  Notthatit  requiresmuch  timeor labor 
to  care  for  a  few  colonies,  as  any  man  who  has  a  love 
for  the  business  (and  none  others  should  attempt  it) 
will  find  plenty  of  time  to  be  spared  from  his  vocation 
or  profession  to  care  for  a  half  dozen  colonies,  and 
find  a  pleasure  and  enjoyment  therein,  which,  even  if 
no  pecuniary  gain  were  made,  will  ampl}-  repay  him. 
He  who  studies  in  the  wondrous  realms  of  nature 


95 

will  always  receive  a  vast  amount  of  substantial 
advantage.  And  he  who  engages  in  apiculture  finds 
that  not  only  does  the  field  of  entomology  open  itself 
to  him,  but  horticulture,  floriculture,  arboriculture, — 
in  fact,  the  whole  extent  of  tlie  botany  of  nature  is 
only  secondary  to  the  pursuit ;  as  he  who  becomes 
acquainted  with  the  flora  of  his  locality,  and  the  sea- 
sons when  the  blossoms  expand  and  the  flowers  yield 
their  nectar,  will  be  the  better  able  understandingly 
to  care  for  his  colonies,  and  better  know  when  to  aid 
them  by  judicious  feeding,  or  to  remove  for  his  own 
use  the  honeyed  sweets  the  busy  bees  so  persistently 
gather.  The  whole  tendency,  too,  of  apiculture,  is  to 
expand  the  mind  and  enlarge  the  understanding ; 
taste  must  be  refined  and  thought  elevated  by  associ- 
ation with  the  most  wonderiul  of  God's  creation 
amonof  the  inferior  classes. 


HOW   TO   COMMENCE   BEE-KEEPING. 

A  word  of  advice  on  this  point  to  beginners  may 
be  of  value  to  many.  If  I  were  intending  to  start 
anew  in  bee-keeping,  I  would  purchase  one  colony  of 
bees  from  some  responsible  dealer  and  get  it  in 
a  movable-frame-hive  (the  Langstroth  principle  I 
consider  the  best)  ;  this  would  give  a  good  start  and 
save  all  trouble  of  transferring,  which  would  have  to 
be  done  if  the  colony  were  bought  in  a  box-hive.  I 
would  purchase  some  standard  works  on  bee-keeping, 
say,  "Langstroth's    on    the    Hive    and    Honey-bee," 


96 

Quinby's  "New  Bee-keeping,"  or  "Cook's  Manual," 
and  also  suhscribe  for  some  good  bee  journal. 
Thus  I  would  be  armed  with  the  necessary  literature 
on  bee-keeping,  and  ready  to  study  up  the  theory,  as 
well  as  to  attend  to  the  practice  of  bee-cnlture.  I 
would  devote  all  my  leisure  moments  to  the  stndy  of 
these  works,  in  order  to  get  posted,  assoon  as  possible, 
on  the  habits  of  the  honey-bee,  and  the  best  methods 
of  managing  an  apiary.  Books  are  of  little  value, 
unless  one,  at  the  same  time,  practises  the  ideas  gained 
from  them  ;  this  can  be  done  by  opening  the  hive  and 
examining  the  bees  as  often  as  desired  ;  thus,  practice 
in  manipulating  a  hive,  as  well  as  courage  in  handling 
bees,  will  be  gained.  Of  course,  a  hive  should  not 
be  often  opened  while  the  bees  are  bringing  in  stores, 
not  that  the  bees  are  injured  thereby,  but  the  disturb- 
ance thus  caused  would  make  the  colony  less  profitable, 
as  it  would  prevent  some  of  the  bees  from  l)ringing 
in  as  large  an  amount  of  honey  as  they  Avould  were 
they  undisturbed. 

The  best  time  to  open  and  manipulate  a  hive  for 
experimental  purposes  is  just  before  sunset. 


BEST    LOCATION    FOR   AN    APIARY. 

Having  advanced  so  far  that  one  can  handle  his 
bees  easily  and  boldly,  and  having  also  obtained,  by 
study  and  observation,  a  fair  insight  into  their  habits, 
I  would  extend  the  business  somewhat  by  procuring 
more  colonies.    If  I  were  bound  to  keep  bees,  and  my 


97 

present  location  was  a  poor  one,  I  would  keep  less 
colonies,  or  move  to  a  locality  which  offered  better 
prospects,  and  where  forage  was  abundant.  Most  any 
part  of  New  York  state  will  aflford  a  good  locality ; 
but  in  order  easily  to  market  one's  products,  and 
obtain  cheap  freights  on  supplies,  the  line  of  some 
leading  railroad  should  be  chosen  as  a  spot  on  which 
to  locate  permanently. 


REQUISITE    IMPLEMENTS    FOR   THE    APIARY. 

One  of  the  first  tools  to  be  procured,  and  the  one 
that  is  most  required  in  managing  bees,  is  a  good 
Bellows  smoker.  There  are  a  number  of  good  ones 
from  which  one  may  choose. 

A  good  extractor  is  a  very  necessary  article  in  an 
apiary  ;  there  are  many  excellent  ones  made,  from 
which  I  am  hardly  able  to  make  any  choice  as  all  are 
good.  I  should,  in  purchasing  one,  procure  it  of  the 
supply  dealer  nearest  to  me  in  order  to  save  on  ex- 
pressage  or  freight.  With  these  tools,  and  a  supple- 
ment of  hives  and  frames,  one  is  ready  to  commence 
bee-culture,  but  unless  a  full  determination  is  made 
to  devote  time  and  energy,  mind  and  hand  to  the 
business,  one  had  better  let  it  alone.  But  if  a  per- 
son takes  hold  of  it  with  his  mind  fully  made  up  to 
devote  all  his  energies  to  it,  and  to  be  ready  at  all 
times  to  take  advantage  of  every  point  which  tends  to 
help  the  business  along ;  not  to  be  easily  frightened 
or  discouraged  at  little  reverses,  should  they  happen, 
7 


98 

he  will  make  a  success  of  the  operation,  and  make  a 
larger  per  cent  of  gain  upon  the  capital  invested,  than 
in  any  other  occupation. 

Not  only  does  it  yield  a  handsome  profit,  but  it 
brings  to  our  table  a  delicious  article  of  food  such  as 
the  gods  themselves  might  relish  and  desire.  Health 
demands  that  we  should  use  some  sweets,  and  what 
one  more  palatable  than  pure  honey  is  known  to  be? 
for,  produced  from  our  own  hives,  with  the  knowledge 
that  it  is  the  result  of  our  own  care  and  labor,  it  will 
become  doubly  delicious  and  attractive. 


md^ 


MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  APIARY; 

OR,    THE 

PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  HONEY. 


By  GEORGE  W.  HOUSE. 


Many  points  must  be  taken  into  consideration  in 
giving  instructions  on  this  subject ;  in  fact,  a  whole 
vohime  might  be  written  without  going  into  the  little 
details  that  are  necessarily  connected  with  the  manip- 
ulations, many  of  which  are  unexpected  and  unavoid- 
able, in  obtaining  the  largest  possible  amount  of 
surplus. 

To  secure  all  the  surplus  honey  obtainable,  the 
apiarist  must  have  the  ability  to  meet  readily  any 
emergency,  however  unexpectedly  presented. 

Manipulations  that  would  prove  the  most  success- 
ful one  season,  if  put  in  practice  at  the  same  time  of 
the  following  season,  and  in  the  same  manner,  would 
be  most  disastrous  to  our  colonies.  Therefore  we 
must  study  the  seasons  and  prepare  ourselves  to  man- 
age our  apiaries  in  accordance  therewith.  All  the 
advice  I  can  give  as  to  the  proper  time  of  having  our 
bees  in  the  desired  conditions  to  store  the  coming 
nectar  advantageously  is,  that  we  must  have  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  time  and  extent  of  the  bloom  about  to 
make  its  appearance,  always  keeping  an  eye  on  the 
weather. 

(99) 


100 


THE     HIVE. 

The  hive  is  an  important  factor  in  all  our  manipu- 
lations. It  matters  not  so  much  about  the  style  of 
frame  used,  whether  Langstroth  or  Galhip,  Quinby 
or  American  ;  but  the  hives  should  all  be  alike,  and 
constructed  as  simple  as  possible,  avoiding  all  loose 
pieces,  etc.  All  hives  should  be  two-storied,  both 
bodies  exactly  alike  and  interchangeable,  so  that  we 
may  run  our  apiaries  for  either  extracted  or  comb 
honey,  or  both,  changing  at  any  time  we  wish  and 
without  any  unnecessary  expense.  I  will  endeavor 
to  explain  the  most  important  points  in  connection 
with  the  hive,  as  I  proceed  with  the  subject. 

SPRING   MANAGEMENT. 

As  soon  as  the  weather  becomes  warm  and  settled, 
and  the  bees  bring  in  the  first  pollen,  the  apiarist 
should  commence  preparing  for  the  season  before 
him.  At  this  season  of  the  3ear  the  bee-keeper 
will  find  his  colonies  varying  in  strength  from  a  two- 
framed  nuclei  to  the  colony  that  is  overflowing  with 
bees.  He  should  now  aim  to  have  his  colonies  brood- 
ing to  their  utmost  capacity,  or  all  that  the  bees  can 
properly  care  for.  This  is  accomplished  in  different 
ways ;  many  go  through  their  apiaries,  select  the 
weakest  colonies  and  double  them  up  by  uniting 
two  and  three  together ;  but,  after  repeated  trials, 
this  method  has  been  abandoned  by  the  skilled  apia- 
rist, it  being  found  to  be  impracticable.     After  re- 


101 

peatecl  experiments  the  following  mode  is  consitlered 
the  most  practical  and  the  one  giving  the  best  and 
quickest  results. 

CONTRACT    THE    BROOD-CHA3IBER. 

Go  through  the  apiary  and  confine  each  colony 
(by  means  of  close-fitting  division  boards)  to  as  few- 
frames  of  comb  as  they  can  properly  cover  and  care 
for.  While  the  bee-keeper  is  thus  going  through 
the  apiary  he  will  notice  that  the  outside  combs  con- 
taining brood  will,  in  most  instances,  have  brood  on 
but  one  side  of  the  comb,  and  that  on  the  side  of 
the  comb  toward  the  cluster  of  bees. 

These  frames  should  be  reversed,  putting  the  side 
containing  but  little  or  no  brood  inside,  or  towards 
the  centre  of  the  hive.  The  reader  will  at  once  see 
the  advantage  gained.  By  contracting  the  brood- 
chamber  the  bees  are  enabled  to  keep  up  a  higher 
temperature,  and  the  combs  being  reversed  the  queen 
finds  more  room  within  the  chister  to  deposit  eggs, 
thus  increasing  the  size  of  the  brood-nest  and  fiicili- 
tating  the  increasing  strength  of  the  colony. 

EXCHANGING    COMBS. 

We  now  go  to  our  strongest  colonies  and  take 
from  each  one  a  frame  of  hatching-brood  or  brood 
about  to  hatch,  putting  in  its  place  a  frame  of  honey 
or  empty  comb.  Give  one  of  these  frames  of  brood 
to  each  of  the  weakest  colonies  by  moving  the  di- 
vision board,  spreading  the  brood-frames  and  In- 
sertinor  the  frame  in  the  centre. 


102 

We  should  repeat  the  same  treatment  every  week 
or  ten  days  until  our  colonies  are  all  of  equal  strength, 
which  should  be  accomplished  by  about  the  first  of 
June,  or  the  time  when  white  clover  begins  to  bloom. 
The  bee-keeper,  who  has  never  practised  the  above 
method,  would,  upon  adopting  it,  be  most  happily 
surprised  at  the  rapidly  increasing  strength  of  his 
weakest  colonies,  and  all  attained  without  injury, 
but  beneficial  to  his  strongest  colonies.  This  building- 
up  method  is  the  hey  to  our  success  for  the  season 
before  us. 

FEEDING   FOR    STIMULATING. 

A  judicious  stimulating,  by  feeding  wheat,  rye  or  oat 
flour,  and  honey  or  sugar  syrup,  will  pay  the  apiarist 
well  for  his  time  and  money  spent.  The  flour  should 
be  placed  in  troughs  or  boxes,  and  put  in  some  warm 
place  in  the  apiary  that  is  protected  from  the  winds, 
feeding  only  on  the  warm  sunshiny  days  of  early 
spring.  As  soon  as  the  bees  get  natural  pollen,  it 
will  be  unnecessary  to  feed  flour,  but  we  should 
change  to  honey  or  sugar  syrup.  When  once  com- 
menced, the  feeding  should  be  kept  up  until  the 
white  clover  bloom,  discontinuing  it  only  at  such  in- 
tervals as  when  the  bees  are  bringing  in  honey 
enough  to  excite  the  queen  to  laying,  as  during  the 
willow,  fruit  tree  and  the  raspberry  bloom  in  this 
locality. 

The  management  described  brings  us  to  the  time 
when  our  principal  honey-producing  plants  begin  to 
bloom,    and    the    swarming    season    about    to  com- 


103 

mence.  We  should  now  have  our  queen-rearing 
nuclei,  or  colouies  for  that  purpose,  in  operation,  so 
as  to  be  able  to  keep  a  laying  queen  in  each  hive. 
The  manner  of  rearing  and  introducing  the  queen  I 
will  not  attempt  to  describe,  but  refer  the  reader  to 
other  pages  of  this  book,  whose  author  is  acknowl- 
edged the  highest  authority,  and  who  is  not  excelled 
by  any  one  in  the  world. 

"We  are  now  ready  for  the  busiest  part  of  the  sea- 
son, and  we  will  suppose  the  apiarist  is  working  for 
comb  honey.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  is  putting 
on  the  surplus  arrangements,  and  I  shall  endeavor 
to  show  the  reader  the  usefulness  of  a  two-storied 
hive. 

Much  depends  upon  the  construction  of  the  sur- 
plus arrangement  in  facilitating  the  various  manipu- 
lations and  saving  much  labor  in  preparing  our 
comb  honey  for  market,  in  the  way  of  keeping  the 
sections  (as  far  as  possible)  free  from  propolis,  wax, 
etc.  For  this  purpose  nothing  is  better  than  the 
so-called  broad-frames. 

If  your  hives  contain  frames  of  the  Gallup  or 
American  style,  the  broad-frames  should  each  hold 
four  section  boxes  5^  X  5^  X  2,  known  as  the  two- 
pound  box.  The  hive  should  be  constructed  to  take 
eleven  brood-frames,  but  in  place  of  three  of  the 
brood-frames  we  use  two  broad-frames,  one  on  each 
side  of  the  brood-nest,  thus  the  brood-chamber  con- 
tains but  eight  frames,  which  is  a  sufficient  number 
from  which  to  obtain  the  best  results  in  that  style  of 
frame. 


104 

The  second  or  upper  story  should  be  of  the  same 
dimensions  as  the  brood-chamber  or  lower  story,  and 
will  hold  eight  of  the  broad-frames,  with  thirty-two 
sections,  making  forty  boxes  in  all  holding  eighty 
pounds  of  honey  to  each  hive.  If  the  apiarist  is  using 
the  Langstroth  hive  or  frame,  I  would  advise  using 
broad-frames  holding  eight  of  the  4^  X  4J  X  2,  or 
so-called  pound  sections,  putting  one  on  each  side  of 
the  brood-nest,  which  should  be  composed  of  ))ut 
seven  or  eight  frames,  all  that  is  necessary  for  se- 
curing the  largest  amount  of  surplus. 

The  upper  story  should  be  of  the  same  dimen- 
sions, inside  measure,  as  the  lower  story,  and  should 
contain  seven  broad-frames  holding  tifty-six  boxes, 
or  seventy-two  all  told,  holding  about  seventy  pounds 
of  honey. 

It  is  best  to  arrange  the  boxes  at  the  sides  of  the 
brood-nest,  a  week  or  so  before  putting  on  the  top 
boxes,  and  when  the  upper  surplus  arrangement  is 
put  in  position,  exchange  two  of  the  broad-frames  in 
the  centre  for  the  two  at  the  sides  of  the  brood-nest. 
With  such  management,  the  bees  commence  work  in 
the  sections  much  more  speedily. 

The  bee-keeper  frequently  has  colonies  that  re- 
fuse to  commence  operations  in  the  surplus  boxes ; 
they  may  be  in  the  best  condition  possible,  but  on 
account  of  their  having  the  swarming  fever,  or  pos- 
sessing a  characteristic  for  crowding  the  brood-cham- 
ber with  honey,  they  are  loath  about  entering  the 
boxes.  By  hanging  a  frame  of  brood  in  the  centre 
of  the  upper  story  and  boxing  on  both  sides,  such 


105 

colonies  will  go  to  work  with  an  almost  incredible 
rapidity. 

I  might  state  here  that  at  present  I  am  experi- 
menting with  a  reversible  frame,  which  I  think  will 
be  most  eflectual  when  applied  to  colonies  that  are 
reluctant  to  enter  the  boxes,  as  the  brood  is  thus 
placed  at  the  top  of  the  comb  and  nearest  to  the 
surplus  arrangement,  with  the  honey  at  the  bottom  of 
the  frames,  which  is  contrary  to  the  laws  of  the  hive  ; 
the  bees  will  at  once  move  the  honey  upwards  and 
into  the  boxes.  The  bee-keeper,  however,  must  ex- 
ercise good  judgment  in  such  a  manipulation  of  the 
brood  department,  lest  it  may  prove  injurious  to 
himself  and  the  colony. 

After  work  in  the  surplus  boxes  has  been  thor- 
oughly established,  the  apiarist  should  know  that 
every  colony  has  just  room  enough,  and  no  more 
than  they  will  work  advantageously. 

As  fast  as  the  boxes  become  finished,  they  should 
be  removed  and  empty  ones  put  in  their  place.  To 
have  the  sections  neatly  and  closely  filled,  reverse 
the  boxes  by  turning  them  bottom  side  up.  For  this 
purpose,  I  am  using  reversible  broad-frames  ;  by  their 
use,  the  labor  in  manipulating  is  much  lessened  in 
more  than  one  way. 

C03IB    FOUNDATION 

If  used  in  the  new  hives  will  pa}^  about  300  per 
cent,  on  its  cost,  at  present  prices.  If  used  in  wired 
frames  it  may  be  as  light  as  eight  square  feet  to  the 


106 

pound;  but  if  used  in  frames  not  wired,  it  should 
measure  about  five  feet  to  the  pound.  For  surphis 
boxes  a  very  light  foundation  is  recommended  by 
many  of  our  most  successful  apiarists ;  some  advise 
using  it  as  light  as  fourteen  feet  to  the  pound.  In 
this  I  must  disagree  with  them.  I  prefer  a  founda- 
tion with  very  thin  base  or  septum,  and  high,  heavy 
side  walls  measuring  about  seven  and  one-half  feet  to 
a  pound.  For  several  reasons  I  prefer  to  have  the 
sections  filled  with  such  foundation,  and  believe  the 
time  not  far  distant  when  a  majority  of  our  apia- 
rists will  support  me  in  my  views  on  this  subject. 

Foundation  for  the  surplus  boxes  is  best  when 
newly  made,  the  bees  accepting  it  much  more  readily. 
The  bee-keeper  should  manage  to  have  such  founda- 
tion fresh  every  week. 

I  think  our  foundation  mills  can  be  greatly  im- 
proved by  having  the  dies  cut  deeper,  so  that  the 
septum  of  the  foundation  can  be  made  quite  thin, 
and  giving  plenty  of  room  for  the  formation  of  the 
side  walls,  that  they  may  not  be  pressed  so  hard,  and 
left  with  so  smooth  an  edge,  but  come  from  the  mill 
soft  and  pliable,  with  high  side  walls  whose  edges 
should  be  ragged.^  Such  foundation  is  accepted  by 
the  bees  and  worked  out  in  about  one-half  the  time 
required  on  other  foundation. 


1  Since  writing  tlie  above  Mr.  W.  C.  Pelliani,  of  Kentucky,  has  placed 
upon  the  market  a  new  Comb-founilation  Mill,  which  makes  the  best 
foundation  I  have  ever  seen.  The  mill  is  simple  in  construction,  easily  and 
quickly  adjusted  and  operated,  and  the  price  so  small  that  every  bee-keeper 
can  afford  to  own  one. 


107 

EXTRACTED  HONEY. 

In  working  for  extracted  honey,  the  same  manage- 
ment is  required,  up  to  the  time  of  putting  on  the 
surplus  arrangement,  as  with  comb  honey. 

Instead  of  putting  the  broad-frames  with  section 
boxes  in  the  brood-chamber  at  the  time  stated,  we 
must  spread  the  brood-frames  and  insert  an  empty 
comb.  If  the  weather  permit,  this  should  be  re- 
peated every  four  or  five  days  until  the  hive  is  filled 
with  comb  and  brood.  The  upper  story  should  now 
be  filled  with  frames  of  clean  empty  combs,  first  ex- 
tracting the  honey  from  the  brood-chamber  or  lower 
story,  spreading  the  brood  and  returning  the  empty 
combs  to  the  centre  of  the  hive.  No  bee-keeper, 
hoAvever,  should  extract  honey  unless  enough  is  com- 
ing in  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  colony. 


TIME  FOR  EXTRACTING. 

I  consider  the  proper  time  for  extracting  is  when 
the  bees  commence  capping  over  the  cells.  There 
is  a  diversity  of  opinion  on  this  question,  some  apia- 
rists going  so  far  as  to  wait  until  the  honey  is  all  sealed 
over  before  extracting;  while  Mr.  L.  C.  Root,  whom 
I  consider  good  authority  on  this  point,  recommends 
extracting  while  the  honey  is  yet  thin  or  raw,  or  in 
other  words,  extract  every  two  or  three  days  during 
the  principal  flow  of  honey.  Mr.  Root  has  described 
to  me  his  method  of  evaporating  and  curing  his  honey, 


108 

which  is  very  simple  and  cheap.  He  claims  several 
points  in  favor  of  his  method,  among  which  is  the  pre- 
vention of  solid  granulation.  I  think  his  method 
is  worthy  of  a  trial  by  those  who  manage  their  apiaries 
for  extracted  honey. 

SEPARATORS. 

Every  bee-keeper  who  manages  his  bees  for  comb 
honey  should  use  separators  of  some  kind  between 
the  section  boxes.  Some  apiarists  argue  against  their 
use ;  but  the  bee-keeper,  who  strives  to  place  his 
honey  on  the  market  in  such  shape  as  to  command 
the  ver}^  highest  price,  will  find  their  use  an  abso- 
lute necessity.  At  the  present  time  they  are  made 
mostly  from  tin.  iNIany,  however,  have  discarded 
these,  and  in  their  place  have  adopted  those  made 
from  wood.  From  my  own  experience,  I  much  pre- 
fer wood  separators,  joer/bra^ecZ,  to  those  made  of  tin, 
but  as  apiculture  is  rapidly  progressing,  we  know 
not  what  will  present  itself  in  the  future.  In  the 
way  of  separators,  something  new  is  about  to  be  used  : 
I  refer  to  "Jones's  perforated  metal."  It  combines 
all  the  good  qualities  of  the  tin  separators,  the 
principal  qualities  claimed  for  those  made  from  wood, 
and  other  good  points  not  found  in  either. 

In  fact,  I  believe  this  "  perforated  metal "  is  des- 
tined to  become  one  of  the  most  useful  articles  used 
in  the  apiary  ;  being  already  used  in  selecting  the 
drones  in  fertilizing  our  queens,  in  the  form  of  en- 
trance  guards,    which    is    also  a  partial    preventive 


109 

against  robbing,  and  -will  prevent  SAvarms  from  ab- 
sconding, thus  abolishing  the  wrongfully  practised 
method  of  clipping  the  queens'  wings.  By  its  use, 
I  believe  we  shall  be  able  to  secure  surplus  comb 
honey  in  the  centre  of  the  brood-chamber,  etc. 


INCREASE  OF  COLONIES. 

The  amount  of  surplus  honey  obtained  (whether 
comb  or  extracted)  depends  upon  how  the  apiary  is 
manafred  in  reojard  to  increase  of  colonies.  As  I  am 
discussing  the  most  practical  method  for  securing  the 
largest  amount  of  surplus  honey,  I  will  not  say  any- 
thing about  the  best  loay  for  increasing  our  colonies. 
Those  w^ishing  bees  instead  of  honey  will  change 
their  manipulations,  in  conformity  with  the  object  in 
view,  which  should  be  different  from  the  commence- 
ment of  the  season.  The  bee-keeper  should  at  all 
times  know  the  condition  of  each  and  every  colony, 
especially  at  this  season  of  the  year.  Much  depends 
upon  such  a  knowledge  in  order  to  obtain  the  best 
results.  Most  of  our  contributors  to  the  various 
journals  advise  making  an  examination  of  each  col- 
ony once  a  week.  This  is  well  enough  for  the  in- 
experienced ;  but  the  bee-keeper  who  can  justly 
claim  the  title  of  apiarist  should  at  all  times  know 
the  condition  and  progressiveness  of  each  colony, 
from  the  outside  appearances ;  and  I  have  grave 
doubts  if  they  Avho  cannot  do  this  will  ever  make  a 
success  of  apiculture. 


110 

If  the  object  is  extracted  honey,  I  would  advise 
but  little,  if  aivj,  increase  in  colonies.  With  a 
proper  use  of  the  extractor,  swarming  may  be  con- 
trolled. With  comb  honey  it  is  different.  The 
number  of  new  colonies  should  be  in  accordance  with 
the  season.  By  preventing  any  increase  during  a 
short  flow  of  honey,  or  during  a  season  below  an 
average  one,  quite  a  satisfactory  amount  of  surplus 
can  be  secured;  while  with  a  good  season,  or  a 
prolonged  flow  of  nectar,  the  best  results  can  be 
obtained  with  a  moderate  increase  of  colonies.  As 
I  have  said  before,  we  should  endeavor  to  have  our 
colonies,  as  near  as  possible,  of  equal  strength  b}-- 
the  first  of  June ;  or  at  the  commencement  of  the 
bloom  from  which  our  surplus  is  gathered.  So  w^e 
must  labor  to  have  our  new  colonies  in  the  best  pos- 
sible condition  and  in  every  way  equal  with  the  old 
colonies ;  all  being  done,  without  diminishing  the 
numerical  strength,  or  in  any  way  deteriorating  the 
working  capacity  of  any  colony.  At  this  writing, 
I  consider  the  following  method  the  most  practical, 
and  the  one  giving  the  best  results. 

Take  an  empty,  or  new  hive,  filled  with  frames  of 
comb  foundation,  and  a  broad-frame  with  section 
boxes  on  each  side  of  the  brood-chamber,  and  place  it 
in  a  position  where  you  wish  the  hive  to  remain.  Now 
take  a  frame  of  foundation,  go  to  a  colony  and  ex- 
change it  for  a  frame  of  brood  and  the  adhering  bees  ; 
put  this  frame  of  brood  and  bees  in  the  new  hive. 
Now  go  to  another  colony,  and  exchange  a  frame  of 
foundation,  for  a  frame  of  brood  and  bees,  as  before  ; 


Ill 

and  proceed  thus,  until  you  have  the  new  hive  full  of 
frames  contuiuiug  brood  and  the  adhering  bees.  By 
the  time  the  last  comb  is  thus  inserted  in  the  new  hive, 
the  colony  thus  formed  will  be  in  a  condition  to  re- 
ceive any  queen  you  may  wish  to  introduce,  which 
is  done  by  simply  letting  the  queen  run  down  be- 
tween two  combs.  Now  carefully  put  in  position 
the  top  surplus  arrangement,  and  all  is  done  ;  and 
you  have  a  colony  that  is  in  a  perfect  condition  to 
take  every  advantage  of  the  bloom  already  secreting 
a  bounteous  supply  of  the  coveted  nectar. 

In  going  through  with  the  above  manipulations, 
great  care  must  be  taken  that  the  queen  in  the  old 
colony  is  not  taken  away  with  the  frame  of  brood  and 
bees ;  also,  if  the  colony  can  spare  more  than  one 
comb  of  brood  and  bees  without  detriment,  the 
apiarist  should  take  two  or  more,  as  his  judgment 
dictates. 

If,  however,  by  some  oversight  of  the  apiarist, 
a  swarm  should  issue  natural  1}%  it  should  be  returned, 
and  then  take  every  alternate  frame  of  brood  and 
bees  from  them  (putting  in  their  place  frames  of 
foundation)  and  place  them  in  a  new  hive,  alter- 
nately, with  frames  of  brood,  etc.,  taken  from  other 
hives.  "We  should  continue  exchanging  frames  (of 
foundation,  for  those  containing  brood,  etc.),  as 
above  stated,  as  often  as  our  colonies  become  crowded 
for  want  of  room  to  work ;  which,  if  neglected,  will 
in  most  cases,  induce  the  swarming  fever,  and  thus 
greatly  retard  work  in  the  surplus  boxes.  These 
conditions  can  be  detected  from  outside  indications, 


112 

and  the  progress  made  in  the  surplus  chamber,  with- 
out disturbino;  the  colony. 

The  skill  and  judgment  of  the  bee-keeper  should 
be  taxed  to  his  extreme  mental  and  physical  capacity 
in  such  observations,  and  should  he  be  a  quick  aud 
close  observer,  it  will  prove  of  great  value  to  him  in 
more  ways  than  one,  besides  saving  a  vast  amount  of 
labor.  The  reader  will  readily  see  that,  by  adopting 
this  method  of  securing  an  increase,  every  colony 
will  be  in  a  prime  working  condition,  and  if  practised 
at  the  proper  time,  no  swarming  fever  will  occur ; 
besides  all  this,  our  combs  are  built  cheaply,  quickly 
and  without  wasting  any  time  in  filliug  the  hive  with 
comb,  before  commencing  work  in  the  surplus  boxes. 

There  are  various  other  ways  of  managing  this  in- 
crease that  are  practised  by  some  of  our  most  scien- 
tific apiarists ;  but  the  one  described  is  that  which  I 
believe  to  be  the  best. 

I  will,  however,  mention  a  method  which  I  think 
is  worthy  a  trial  at  least.  Mr.  D.  A.  Jones,  who 
claims  it  a  success,  has  put  it  into  practice  and 
claims,  that  l)y  dividiug  the  brood-chamber,  in  such 
a  manner  that  the  workers  may  have  free  access  to 
both  parts,  wiiile  the  queen  will  be  slower  in  Huding 
her  way  between  the  two  compartments,  swarming 
may  be  controlled.  This  is  done  as  follows  :  insert 
one  or  two  broad-frames,  containing  surplus  boxes 
filled  with  foundation,  in  the  centre  of  the  brood-nest, 
using  as  separators  the  "perforated  metal,"  described 
elsewhere,  and  cut  the  full  size  of  the  broad-frame. 
It  is  best  to  use  the  metal  as  division  boards,  placing 


113 

the  broad-frames  at  the  sides,  in  the  centre  of  the  hive, 
after  spreading  the  brood.  Thns  the  bees  are  allowed 
to  pass  from  one  side  to  the  other,  at  any  point,  while 
the  queen  must  pass  either  over  or  under  these  broad- 
frames,  to  enter  the  one  part  from  the  other. 


UNFINISHED  SECTIONS. 

At  the  end  of  the  season  for  white  honey,  we  find 
that  we  have  a  number  of  boxes  tliat  are  unfinished. 
If  the}'  are  one-half  or  more  completed,  they  can  be 
easily  fiuished.  Many,  however,  prefer  to  extract  the 
honey  from  those  that  may  be  unfinished  at  the  close 
of  the  season,  allowiug  the  bees  to  clean  up  the  combs, 
when  they  are  stored  away  for  another  year.  I  think 
this  the  better  plan,  as  these  boxes  filled  with  comb 
offer  excellent  inducements  for  getting  the  bees  in  the 
boxes  the  next  season.  If  the  bee-keeper  concludes 
to  have  the  best  of  them  finished  up,  he  must  do  so 
by  feeding  back.  To  make  this  profitable,  several 
colonies  should  be  selected  for  the  purpose.  They 
should  be  strong  in  numbers,  and  the  combs  contain- 
ing brood  should  be  exchanged  for  others  that  are 
all,  or  nearly  all,  solid  honey.  Those  using  broad- 
frames  for  side  boxing  should  remove  them,  and  in 
their  place  arrange  the  feeders,  having  the  unfinished 
boxes  on  top.  As  a  feeder  for  such  purposes,  I  know 
of  none  better  than  "King's  Automatic"  which  is 
made  to  hang  in  the  hive,  the  same  as  broad-frames. 
If  our  hives  are  not  arranged  for  side  storing  boxes, 


114 

we  can  remove  the  frames  containing  brood,  etc.,  and 
crowd  together  the  frames  containing  the  honey, 
thus  leaving  room  at  the  sides  to  suspend  the  feeders. 
Mr.  Jones,  who  uses  a  stationary  bottom-board  to 
his  hives,  feeds  by  simply  tipping  the  hive  back  a 
little,  and  pouring  the  food  on  the  bottom  of  the 
hive,  from  the  entrance,  by  means  of  a  funnel.  This 
is  the  best  feeder  for  those  using  stationary  bottom- 
boards. 


CAKE  OF    HONEY. 

Every  apiarist  should  have  a  small  building  or  a 
room  in  a  larger  building  exclusively  for  storing  and 
for  the  proper  curing  of  his  honey.  This  room  should 
be  well  ventilated  by  means  of  two  small  wiudows, 
or  one  large  one  protected  on  the  outside  by  fine  wire- 
cloth  and  absolutely  moth-  and  mouse-proof,  and  he 
should  use  care,  while  passing  through  the  door,  not 
to  allow  any  millers  to  enter  the  room.  If  spiders  and 
large  ants  should  take  up  their  abode  in  the  room,  have 
uo  fears  as  they  will  do  no  harm  but  will  destroy  all 
injurious  insects  that  make  their  appearance,  and  take 
up  what  little  leakage  there  may  be  from  the  honey. 
On  the  floor  lay  down  strips  ^  of  an  inch  thick  by  1^ 
inches  wide,  and  far  enough  apart  to  allow  the  boxes 
to  rest  upon  these  reaching  from  the  centre  of  one  to 
the  centre  of  the  next  strip.  Set  a  single  tier  of  boxes 
on  these,  then  lay  over  them  pieces  of  manilla  paper 
to  catch  the  leakage  from  above,  and  on  top  of  this, 


115 

place  more  strips  and  another  tier  of  boxes  and  so 
ou  until  you  have  seven  or  eight  tiers  of  the  two- 
pound  boxes. 

As  fast  as  the  boxes  are  taken  from  the  hives  they 
should  be  put  in  trays  or  crates  for  the  purpose  and 
carried  into  the  honey-room  at  once.  Do  not  leave 
the  honey  exposed  to  the  moth-miller  at  any  time. 
Herein  lies  the  secret  of  evadino^  the  ravao^es  of  the 
moth. 

Extracted  honey  does  not  require  so  much  care  and 
attention  as  comb  honey.  The  principal  point  is 
to  have  the  honey  properly  cured  or  ripened,  when 
it  may  be  put  in  barrels  or  casks  and  stored  in  a  room 
with  a  moderately  high  and  even  temperature.  All 
cellars  should  be  avoidedfor  storing  honey  of  any  kind. 
If  the  honey  is  not  extracted  before  it  is  sealed  or 
capped  over  or  nearly  so,  it  may  be  put  in  the  recep- 
tacles immediately ;  but  if  the  honey  is  extracted 
while  it  is  yet  thin  and  raw,  it  should  be  cured  or 
evaporated  before  being  put  into  packages  for  ship- 
ment. I  think  this  is  best  done  by  Mr.  L.  C.  Root's 
method,  which  is  illustrated  and  described  in  the  Pro- 
ceedings of  the  Northeastern  Bee-keepers'  conven- 
tion and  published  in  the  "Bee-keepers'  Exchange" 
for  March  and  April,  1883. 


SULPHURING. 

We  have  been  large  producers  of  comb  honey  for 
the  past  twenty  years,  and  as  yet  have  never  sulphured 


116 

our  honey  and  have  never  been  troubled  with  moths. 
If  the  above  precautions  are  heeded,  there  will  be  no 
need  of  resorting  to  brimstone  to  protect  our  honey 
against  the  ravages  of  the  moth.  As  the  market 
for  honey  seldom  opens  before  the  latter  part  of 
September  or  first  of  October,  the  honey  should 
remain  as  we  pile  it  in  the  room,  until  just  before 
this  time. 

PREPARING  FOR  MARKET. 

The  first  work  in  preparing  our  honey  for  the  mar- 
ket is  to  clean  all  propolis,  wax,  etc.,  from  the  sections. 
Then  comes 

GLASSING. 

The  glass  should  be  nicely  cleaned  and  put  on  the 
sections  with  tin  points  or  white  glue.  If  with  the 
former  they  should  be  set  one  side  from  the  centre  of 
the  box  and  in  an  opposite  direction  from  the  one  on 
the  other  side.  Great  care  must  be  taken  not  to 
crack  or  start  the  combs  by  using  glass  too  large  as 
it  will  cause  the  honey  to  leak  and  will  weaken  the 
combs  making  it  more  hazardous  in  ti'ansportation  to 
market. 

I  am  endeavoring  to  improve  on  the  method  of 
fastening  the  glass  on  the  sections  by  using  strong 
labels  to  cover  the  top  of  the  section  and  reaching 
one-fourth  or  one-half  inch  down  on  each  glass,  the 
bottom  to  be  fixed  the  same  way. 


117 

In  conversation  with  Mr.  D.  A.  Jones,  he  thought 
he  could  furnish  labels  similar  to  those  he  now  makes 
and  uses  on  small  pails  for  extracted  honey  that  would 
give  entire  satisfaction.  If  so,  it  will  add  greatly  to 
the  neatness  and  attractiveness  of  our  packages,  cov- 
ering the  stains  from  propolis  and  wax,  and  at  the 
same  time  contain  an  advertisement  for  the  producer 
on  every  box  of  honey. 

The  one-pound  sections  should  not  be  glassed  but 
nicely  cleaned  and  put  into  those  neat  paper  boxes 
as  made  and  used  by  Mr.  I.  L.  Scofield.  These 
boxes  contain  the  producer's  card  and  are  weighed  as 
so  much  hone\%  consequently  the  cost  is  nothing. 
With  the  present  method  of  crating,  the  producer  is 
out  of  pocket  on  the  cost  of  glassing  the  crates,  which 
is  not  weighed  as  honey  and  is  therefore  a  dead  loss. 


CRATES. 

Our  crates,  or  cases,  should  be  made  with  all  the 
accuracy  we  exhibit  in  making  our  sections.  White 
basswood  and  poplar  have  several  points  in  their  favor, 
over  other  woods,  as  the  best  material.  Care  should 
be  taken  not  to  stain  or  soil  them  in  handling.  They 
should  hold  twelve  of  the  two-pound  sections  or 
twenty-five  of  the  one-pound  boxes.  After  the  crate 
is  made  the  bottom  should  be  fixed  in  the  foUowinsr 
manner:  take  strong  manllla  paper  and  cut  one  inch 
larger  each  way  than  the  inside  of  the  crate.  Fold  this 
overaboard  (made  for  a  pattern)  thatwill  just  fit  inside 


118 

the  crate,  turning  up  the  corners,  thus  forming  a  paper 
pan  that  will  just  fit  in  the  bottom  of  the  case.  After 
the  pan  is  in  position  tack  strips  of  wood  three-six- 
teenths of  an  inch  thick  and  seven-eighths  of  an  inch 
wide  on  top  of  the  paper  and  crosswise  of  the  crate, 
placing  them  far  enough  apart  so  that  the  boxes  will 
reach  from  the  centre  of  one  to  the  centre  of  the  next 
strip  thus  forming  a  space  between  the  bottom  of  the 
section  and  the  paper  pan  that  will  catch  and  hold  all 
the  leakage.  In  this  way  the  boxes  are  free  from 
any  daubing  from  leakage  of  the  honey.  I  consider 
this  a  great  improvement ;  although  the  inventor,  Mr. 
Samuel  Snow  of  this  place,  has  used  the  same  for  sev- 
eral years,  it  is  known  to  but  few  as  yet.  It  should 
be  known  to  every  producer  of  comb  honey. 


GEADING  AND  CRATING. 

The  crates  should  first  be  weighed  and  marked  in 
small  figures  with  a  pencil.  The  most  convenient 
way  to  crate  is  to  have  as  many  crates  by  your  side 
as  you  have  grades  of  honey. 

There  should  be  two  grades  of  white  honey  and 
two  grades  of  dark.  The  best  grade  should  be 
marked  XXXX  and  composed  of  sections  with  all 
straight  and  even  combs  all  sealed  over  and  the  cap- 
pings  or  comb  stained  but  little  if  any.  Mark  the 
second  gradeXXX,  which  should  comprise  all  boxes  of 
white  honey  not  fit  to  be  put  in  the  l)est  grade.  The 
the  third  or  XX  grade  is  made  up  of  sections  that 


119 

are  one-half  or  more  white  but  finished  up  with  dark 
honey.  The  fourth  or  X  grade  takes  all  the  dark  and 
buckwheat  honey. 

In  putting  the  sections  in  the  crates  it  is  rulable 
to  put  the  best  side  of  the  outside  boxes  out,  but  the 
boxes  inside  should  average  as  good  as  those  on  the 
outside.  A  great  deal  of  the  honey  on  our  markets 
is  crated  so  that  nice  white  honey  appears  on  the 
outside  while  the  inside  is  made  up  of  mixed  honey. 
This  is  called  veneering  by  the  dealers  and  is  the  cause 
of  many  complaints  and  denunciations  on  the  part  of 
the  bee-keeper,  who  thinks  the  dealer  has  wronged 
him  by  selling  too  cheap  when  really  no  one  is  to 
blame  but  the  apiarist  himself.  Honey  put  up  in  this 
way  must  be  sold  as  mixed  honey.  The  bee-keeper 
who  is  so  devoid  of  principle  as  to  practise  this  should 
receive  no  sympathy  from  any  quarter. 

I  wish  here  to  speak  of  another  bad  custom  and 
one  which  I  have  entirely  overcome  in  this  locality 
the  past  season.  In  buying  honey,  the  buyer  makes 
a  difference  of  from  two  to  four  cents  between  each 
grade  and  makes  his  contracts  in  that  way  ;  this  makes 
a  difference  of  about  five  cents  (on  a  two-pound 
section)  between  the  two  grades,  and  when  crating 
many  are  inclined  to  look  at  the  five  cents,  more  than 
at  the  strictness  of  the  grading.  By  selling  both  grades 
of  white  honey  at  the  same  price  and  the  two  grades 
of  dark  honey  at  another  price,  the  producer  finds 
nothing  to  warp  his  judgment ;  consequentl}^,  all 
grades  are  far  better  and  give  better  satisfaction  to  all 
concerned.     In   crating  the   one-pound   sections  the 


120 

crates  should  be  made  for  a  single  tier  only,  taking  five 
boxes  in  length  and  five  wide.  The  middle  box  on  each 
side  should  be  glassed  on  one  side,  so  as  to  show  the 
average  quality  of  honey  in  the  crate,  as  by  using  the 
paper  boxes  referred  to  previously,  the  honey  is  not 
visible. 

"WEIGHING  AND  MARKING. 

It  is  a  common  practice  with  bee-keepers  to  put 
their  name  and  address,  as  well  as  the  gross  weight 
and  the  tare,  on  each  crate,  with  a  stencil  plate.  This 
should  not  be  done.  Put  your  name  and  address  on 
each  section  if  you  like  but  not  on  the  case.  Put 
nothing  on  the  crate  but  a  mark  denoting  the  quality 
or  grade  of  the  honey  and  the  nelweight  neatly  marked 
on  one  end  in  stencil  figures.  The  crates  should 
weigh  even  pounds  net;  i.  e.,  there  should  be  no 
fractions  of  pounds. 

MARKETING. 

Many  bee-keepers  succeed  in  obtaining  a  large 
amount  of  surplus,  but  comparatively  few  seem  to 
realize  "top  prices"  for  their  honey,  either  from  a 
lack  of  knowledge  of  the  requirements  of  the  market, 
or  their  inability  in  supplying  the  demands  of  the 
consumer. 

Some  apiarists  take  extra  pains  to  have  their  crates 
and  sections  neat  and  clean,  and  all  that  could  be 
desired  in  attracting  the  attention  of  the  consumer, 


121 

but  spoil  all  by  an  improper  S3^stem  of  grading; 
others  bend  their  Avhole  energies  in  the  direction  of 
perfect  grading  and  beautifying  the  outside  appear- 
ance of  the  crates  but  lose  sight  of  that  most  im- 
portant point  of  having  the  sections  clean,  bright 
and  free  from  all  propolis,  etc. 

We  must  cater  to  the  wants  of  the  consumer,  and 
not  so  much  to  some  of  the  fancied  caprices  of  the 
dealers  or  middlemen,  and  while  we  endeavor  to 
please  the  public  we  should  not  disregard  our  own 
interests  financially  and  otherwise.  Dealers  are  con- 
stantly on  the  alert  to  increase  their  profits ;  and  by 
managing  to  induce  their  bee-keeping  friends  to  put 
up  their  honey  in  some  new  style  of  box  or  crate,  or 
to  fix  it  up  in  some  way  so  as  to  make  it  a  novelty, 
they  succeed  in  increasing  their  profits  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  apiarist  and  at  an  extra  cost  to  the 
consumer,  with  a  tendency  of  lessening  the  consump- 
tion of  our  products.  Never  deviate  from  the  two 
sizes  of  boxes  I  have  mentioned.  Strive  to  place 
them  on  the  market  in  the  very  best  shape  possible, 
and  your  honey  will  please  the  consumer  in  all  that 
the  most  fastidious  connoisseur  could  desire,  and 
command  the  very  highest  market  prices. 

Always  supply  your  home  market  before  looking 
elsewhere.  If  you  have  a  surplus  after  that,  ship  it 
where  it  will  net  you  the  most.  Always  sell  for  cash 
when  you  can ;  it  is  better  to  sell  for  two  cents  per 
pound  less  than  what  is  quoted  by  commission  dealers, 
than  send  it  on  commission,  as  it  costs  the  consignor 
that  difierence  in  paying  the  various  bills  of  expense, 


122 

besides  the  risk  of  losing  the  entire  consignment  by 
the  failure  of  the  commission  firm. 

If,  however,  you  are  forced  to  send  on  commission, 
ship  to  a  firm  that  makes  a  specialty  of  our  products 
and  is  known  to  the  bee-keeping  fraternity.  Nothing 
will  frighten  the  retailer  so  quickl}^  and  lessen  the  prices 
more  than  the  practice  of  consigning  to  any  and  all  of 
the  hundreds  of  commission  houses.  To  succeed  best 
we  must  concentrate  our  products  on  any  market. 
Our  l)ee  magazines  could  help  us  much  more  than  they 
do  in  this  matter. 

SHIPPING. 

This  has  been  one  of  the  perplexities  in  marketing 
our  products,  yet  it  is  quite  simple  and  when  well 
understood  comb  honey  can  be  safely  shipped  to  any 
'part  of  the  world.  My  long  experience,  crowned 
with  the  best  success  attainable,  will  verify  the  asser- 
tion that  what  I  shall  say  on  this  subject  may  be 
considered  as  authority.  First,  secure  a  good  clean 
car.  By  presenting  your  freight  agent  with  a  little 
honey  you  will  have  the  best  to  be  had  ;  before  load- 
ing, the  car  should  be  swept  clean  and  paper  spread 
on  the  floor  to  keep  the  coal  cinders  from  soiling  the 
crates.  Commence  loading  by  placing  a  row  of  crates 
against  one  end  of  the  car  with  the  combs  running 
lengthwise  with  the  track.  The  crates  should  not  be 
piled  more  than  three  feet  high.  At  one  side  of  the 
car  Ave  will  have  a  vacant  space  of  a  few  inches  ;  this 
should  be  fixed  by  putting  a  board  against  the  sides 


123 

of  the  crates  and  stay-lath  it  so  that  the  crates  cannot 
move  ;  now  place  another  tier  of  crates  against  the  one 
just  put  in  and  fasten  at  side  as  before  ;  proceed  in 
this  way  until  your  honey  is  all  loaded,  or  you  have 
filled  the  car  as  far  as  the  doors.  Here  fit  good  strong 
boards  against  the  ends  of  the  crates  and  stay-lath  so 
that  there  is  no  possible  chance  for  a  single  case  to 
move.  The  other  half  of  the  car  should  be  managed 
the  same  way  and  when  the  car  is  thus  loaded  it  will 
not  be  far  from  ten  tons  net  weight.  Over  the  tops 
of  the  crates  tack  old  newspapers  to  keep  the  dust 
and  cinders  from  sifting  among  the  cases.  In  this 
way  the  honey  may  be  sent  to  California  and  back 
again  without  breaking  a  half  dozen  combs.  Always 
do  your  own  loading  and  reserve  the  privilege  of 
superintending  the  unloading.  Always  ship  by  freight 
when  you  can.  The  charges  are  much  less  and  the 
risk  no  greater  than  by  express. 


EXTRACTED    HONEY. 

If  sold  in  our  larger  markets  or  shipped  away  from 
home  it  should  be  put  up  in  kegs  holding  about  one 
hundred  and  sixty  pounds  net.  On  one  end  mark  with 
stencil  plate  the  producer's  name  and  address,  the  qual- 
ity of  the  honey  and  the  net  weight.  Honey  put  up  in 
five  and  ten  gallon  tin  cans  does  not  sell  so  readily  as 
that  put  up  in  kegs.  If  near  a  large  town,  I  should  put 
my  extracted  honey  in  one,  two  and  a  half,  five  and 


124 

ten-pound  tin  pails  labelled  with  Jones'  fancy  labels 
for  that  purpose.  At  present  I  cannot  endorse  putting 
up  extracted  honey  in  packages  of  less  than  one  pound. 
From  late  experiments  I  am  satisfied  that  cheap  tin 
should  be  avoided  as  the  best  chemists  have  shown 
that  honey  in  such  tins  is  tainted  with  poisonous  acids 
or  minerals. 

I  will  here  venture  on  rather  delicate  ground  know- 
ing that  I  shall  meet  with  strong  opposition  by  some, 
but  nevertheless  I  shall  venture  the  assertion.  The 
finer  or  white  grades  of  extracted  honey  find  ready 
sale  at  remunerative  prices.  But  it  is  a  stubborn  fact 
that  the  darker  grades  are  a  drug  on  our  haarkets. 
Time  after  time  the  question  has  arisen  "  How  can  we 
establish  a  trade  or  how  can  we  find  an  outlet  that 
will  consume  all  of  such  grades  of  honey?"  Grape 
sugar  is  now  largely  used  in  the  manufacture  of  beer. 
In  conversation  with  a  prominent  brewer  of  Brooklyn, 
who  is  now  using  dark  extracted  honey  in  place  of 
"grape  sugar,"  he  said  "that  the  honey  could  be  used 
at  eleven  cents  per  pound  and  be  cheaper  than  '  grape 
sugar'  besides  making  a  beer  that  could  not  be 
excelled  in  purity  and  healthfulness."  If  bee-keepers 
will  go  to  a  little  trouble  they  can  establish  a  trade  in 
this  line  that  would  demand  more  honey  than  is  now 
produced.  I  do  not  wish  to  be  treated  to  a  "temper- 
ance lecture,"  so  will  suffice  by  asking.  Is  it  not  far 
better  to  give  the  consumer  of  beer  a  pure  and  good 
article  than  an  adidterated  one? 


125 

SIZE  OF  BOXES. 

Much  may  be  accomplished  in  the  way  of  regu- 
lating the  size  of  section  boxes.  We  will  first  take 
up  the  two  standard  sizes  found  on  our  market 
to-day  and  show  Avhat  the  difference  in  price  must 
be  to  make  them  equally  profitable  to  the  pro- 
ducer. It  is  admitted  by  the  best  apiarists  who 
have  had  the  longest  and  largest  experience  with 
the  one-pound  boxes  that  the  amount  of  surplus 
honey  secured  is  ^  less  than  with  the  two  pound 
sections.  Therefore  we  shall  take  that  as  a  stan- 
dard. In  producing  and  preparing  tor  market  1000 
lbs.  in  one-pound  sections  it  will  cost,  for  1000 
boxes,  $4.50.  To  fill  these  with  foundation,  it 
will  take  10  lbs.,  10  ft.  to  the  pound,  which  at  60 
cts.  is  $6.00 ;  40  crates  for  crating  the  same  at  15 
cts.jis  $6.00  more ;  80  glass  for  glassing  sides  of 
cases  at  5  cts.  makes  $4.00 ;  thus  for  the  1000 
lbs.  it  costs  $20.50. 

1000  lbs.  in  sections  5^x5^x2  in.  will  cost  for 
500  boxes  $3.00 ;  to  fill  them  with  foundation  10  ft. 
to  the  pound  will  require  7  lbs.  at  60  cts.,  which  is 
$4.20  ;  40crates  for  crating  sameat  9  cts.  makes  $3.60  ; 
$10.80  in  all  and  a  difference  in  favor  of  the  two- 
pound  section  of  $9.70. 

To  glass  the  500  two-pound  sections,  it  will  take 
3J  boxes  glass  at  $2.40  which  would  be  $8.40;  this 
glass  weighs  60  lbs.  to  the  box  or  210  lbs.  in  all, 
which  is  weighed  as  honey,  and  at  20  cts.  would  be 
$42.00  ;  it  costs  us  as  above  $8.40,  leaving  a  balance  in 


126 

favor  of  the  two-pound  sections  of  $33.60.  By  hav- 
ing the  honey  stored  in  the  two-pound  box,  we  gain  ^ 
or  150  lbs.  honey,  which  at  20  cts.  is  just  $30.00  and 
making  a  grand  total  in  favor  of  the  two-pound  sec- 
tions of  $73.30  or  a  difference  between  the  two  sizes 
of  7^  cts.  per  lb.  ;  therefore,  to  be  as  profitable  to  the 
producer,  the  one-pound  box  must  sell  at  27^  cts. 
when  the  two-pound  section  is  selling  at  20  cts.  I 
have  said  nothing  about  the  labor  in  glassing  the  two- 
pound  boxes,  etc.  The  extra  labor  required  in  making 
double  the  amount  of  boxes,  and  that  performed  in 
the  various  manipulations  of  the  one-pound  sections, 
would  leave  a  nice  margin  on  labor  in  favor  of  the 
larger  section. 

I  will  now  consider  the  one-half  pound  boxes,  a  sub- 
ject which  is  at  present  agitating  a  "  certain  class  "  of 
bee-keepers  and  compare  them  with  the  two-pound 
sections. 

At  our  late  Northeastern  Bee-keepers'  convention, 
it  was  acknowledged  by  those  apiarists  who  have  had 
more  experience  than  any  others  with  the  one-half 
pound  boxes,  that  they  could  get  butf  as  much  honey 
stored  in  them,  as  they  could  in  the  one-pound  box, 
and  then  they  could  succeed  only  when  honey  was  the 
most  plentiful.  For  1000  lbs.  honey  in  one-half  pound 
boxes  it  will  take  2000  sections  at  $4.00,  which  will 
be  $8.00  ;  to  fill  them  with  foundation  it  will  require 
20  lbs.  10  ft.  to  pound  at  60  cts.,  making  $12.00  ;  50 
crates  for  crating  same  at  15  cts.,  will  make  $7.50  ; 
the  100  glass  for  sides  of  cases  at  5  cts.,  will  be  $5.00 
more   and   a   total  of  $32.50.     If  we    can   get   but 


127 

§  as  much  in  the  one-half  ponncl  as  we  do  in  the  one- 
pound  box  ;  and  but  y-  as  much  in  the  one-pound  as  the 
two-pound  sections  then  while  we  secure  1000  \hs.  in 
the  one-half  pound  box  we  can  obtain  1715  lbs.  in 
the  two-pound  sections.  The  cost  of  this  will  be,  850 
boxes  at  $6.00,  $5.10;  12  lbs.  foundation  10  ft.  to 
pound  will  till  them  and  at  60  cts.  will  be  $7.20;  70 
crates  to  crate  the  same  at  9  cts.  equals  $6.30,  making 
in  all  $18.60  or  a  difference  in  favor  of  the  two-pound 
sections  of  $13.90.  To  glass  the  850  boxes  it  will 
require  6  boxes  glass,  at  $2.40,  making  $14.40; 
weighing  60  lbs.  to  the  box,  makes  360  lbs.,  glass  at 
20  cts.  (being  weighed  as  honey),  we  have  $72.00, 
or  a  balance  on  glass  of  $57.60  in  favor  of  the  two- 
pound  sections.  The  difference  in  amount,  produced  as 
before  stated,  is  715  lbs.  which,  at  20  cts.,  will  make 
$143.00  more  and  a  total  of  $214.50  or  21^  cts. 
difference  in  the  two  sizes. 

Therefore  the  one-half  pound  section  must  sell  for 
41J  cts.  when  the  two-pound  boxes  sell  at  20  cts.  to 
be  equally  profitable  (financially  speaking)  to  the  api- 
arist, to  say  nothing  about  the  vast  amount  of  extra 
labor  and  time  lost  in  manipulating  the  one-half  pound 
sections  which  would  put  the  price  at  about  50  cts.  to 
be  a  success.  The  quotations  then  should  read  like 
this  :  two-pound  sections  20  cts.,  one-pound  boxes  28 
cts.,  one-half  pound  sections  50  cts.  per  pound  ;  then 
the  one-half  pound  box  would  bring  25  cts.,  the  one- 
pound  box  28  cts. — a  difference  of  only  3  cts.  —  and 
the  two-pound  section  40  cts. 

It  is  not  the  consumer  that  demands  the  one-half 


128 

pouutl  package  or  the  one-pound  box.  It  is  the  dealer 
who  is  constantly  endeavoring  to  introduce  something 
new  in  the  line  of  a  novelty,  at  the  expense  of  the  pro- 
ducer and  consumer  alike.  They  are  assisted  by  our 
supply  manufacturers,  and  they  too  have  an  axe  to 
grind  as  it  increases  their  sales  and  consequently  their 
profits. 

It  is  time  that  apiarists  viewed  this  matter  in  its 
true  light  and  I  trust  the  reader  will  pause  and 
consider  before  his  business  is  ruined.  I  will  venture 
to  predict  that  the  time  is  close  at  hand  when  the  one- 
pound  section  will  sell  at  the  same  price  as  the  two- 
pound  box.  If  the  one-half  pound  box  is  produced  in 
large  quantities,  it  will  be  but  a  few  years  before  they 
too  will  find  their  level  with  the  two-pound  section. 
The  5:1x5^x2  section  will  be  the  standard  in  the 
near  future.      Wait  and  see. 


COOPERATION. 

Nearly  every  apiarist  in  the  country  must  know 
that  I  have  worked  earnestly  for  the  past  several 
years  to  demonstrate  to  the  bee-keepers  of  America 
the  many  advantages  to  be  had  and  the  large  amount 
of  money  that  can  be  saved  by  united  action.  In 
this  I  have  been  opposed  only  by  those  interested  in 
the  manufacture  or  sale  of  supplies,  and  their  friends. 
Of  late  I  can  sec  the  tidal  wave  steadily  moving  on- 
ward that  is  sure  to  accomplish  the  desired  end. 

Mr.  T.  G.  Newman  in  his  work  on   "Bees   and 


129 

Honey,"  published  in  1882,  tells  us  that  "any  method, 
that  will  add  one  cent  per  pound  to  the  marketable 
value  of  our  products,  is  worth  to  the  producers 
three-quarters  of  a  million  of  dollars ;  and  auy  error 
of  management,  causing  a  reduction  of  one  cent  per 
pound  is  to  them  a  corresponding  loss." 

In  addition  to  what  Mr.  Newman  has  said,  I  will 
add,  "any  method  that  will  save  one  cent  per  pound 
in  preparing  our  products  for  market  is  worth  to  the 
bee-keepers  of  America  nearly  three-quarters  of  a 
million  of  dollars :  and  a  failure  to  save  that  one 
cent  per  pound  is  to  them  a  loss  of  just  that  amount." 

This  amount  can  be  saved  by  buying  our  glass, 
sections,  hives,  foundation,  literature,  and  the  many 
implements  of  the  apiary  at  manufiicturers'  prices. 
A  like  amount  can  be  added  (by  a  majority  of  bee- 
keepers) by  united  action  in  selling  our  products, 
but  to  accomplish  all  this  requires  organization. 
Reader,  if  you  will  express  your  willingness  and  lend 
assistance  in  this  matter,  we  shall  soon  advance  one 
step  nearer  perfection. 

There  are  other  points  of  material  interest  to  the 
apiarist  that  can  only  be  accomplished  by  cooperation, 
such  as  collecting  accurate  statistics ;  providing  a 
relief  fund  for  the  benefit  of  our  families  after  our 
death  ;  perfecting  a  system  in  grading  and  marketing 
our  products  and  bringing  to  bear,  on  our  railroad 
officers,  legislatures  and  government  officials,  an 
influence  that  will  command  due  respect  and  unde- 
layed  action  when  our  interests  are  involved. 
9 


130 


CONCLUSION. 

The  reader  who  has  perused  these  pages  with  care 
will  notice  that  I  have  not  described  the  various  con- 
ditions and  the  many  things  that  would  greatly 
facilitate  the  various  manipulations  of  the  hive,  nor 
even  mentioned  the  many  methods  pursued  by  different 
apiarists  in  obtaining  their  surplus  and  their  manage- 
ment during  the  swarming  season ;  indeed,  it  would 
take  a  large  volume  to  do  this.  I  might,  perhaps,  have 
gone  into  more  minute  details  for  the  benefit  of  the 
novice,  but  as  this  work  is  not  an  A  B  C  book,  but 
a  volume  whose  pages  are  filled  with  the  results  of 
years  of  experience,  I  have  endeavored  to  present  to 
the  reader  the  latest  and  most  scientific  and  practical 
method  of  management  to  secure  the  best  results 
from  the  apiary.  How  well  I  have  succeeded,  time, 
that  great  leveller  of  all  things,  will  tell. 

Fayetteville,  N.  Y.,  March,  1883. 


^^<Z^iJ'' 


THE  NEW  KACES. 


By  SILAS  M.  LOCKE. 


Apiculture,  as  a  science  or  vocation,  received  al- 
most its  first  impetus  from  the  combined  efforts  of 
the  lamented  father  of  practical  apiculture  in  Amer- 
ica, Moses  Quinby,  and  L.  L.  Langstroth  (the  in- 
ventor of  the  movable-comb  hive)  ;  both,  authors  of 
works,  which  constitute  the  foundation  of  practical 
apiculture.  Until  this  time  bees  had  only  been  kept 
in  the  old-fashioned  way,  and  with  few  exceptions 
in  box-hives,  straw skeps,  etc.,  and  the  idea  that  api- 
culture would  ever  assume  the  dignity  of  a  science, 
or  become  established  and  remunerative  as  a  vocation, 
was  not  conceived.  True,  marked  and  important  ad- 
vances had  been  made  in  Europe,  but  it  was  left  to 
America  to  establish  the  first  practical  methods  of 
bee-keeping. 

THE  ITALIANS  FIRST  EtfPORTED. 

In  the  year  1853,  Dzierzon  (aided  by  the  Austrian 
agricultural  society  at  Vienna)  succeeded  in  import- 
ing his  first  colony  of  the  Italian  bees,  and  after 
thoroughly  testing  them  pronounced  them  superior 
in  every  respect  to  the  native  bees,  as  they  swarmed 
earlier,  were  more  industrious  and  hence  better  honey 
gatherers,  more  gentle  and  yet  more  courageous  and 
active  in  self-defence  and  far  more  beautiful, 

(131) 


132 

ITALIAN  BEES  FIRST  IMPORTED  INTO  AMERICA. 

When  the  news  of  this  fact  was  wafted  across  the 
water  and  these  wonderful  and  encouraging  reports 
were  corroborated  by  other  European  apiarists,  many 
prominent  and  influential  bee-masters  on  this  side  of 
the  water  became  deeply  interested  in  them  and  sev- 
eral attempts  were  made  to  import  them,  all  of  which, 
however,  proved  unsuccessful  until  the  year  1859, 
when  Messrs.  Wagner,  Colvin,  and  Mahan  succeeded 
in  making  the  first  living  importation.  Although 
the  pioneers  of  apiculture  had  laid  the  foundation,  the 
advent  of  the  Italian  bee  marks  prominently  the 
starting  point  of  the  "bee-fever"  (so  called) ,  and  an  in- 
terest began  which  has  continued  until  apiculture 
has  assumed  an  importance  which  places  it  side  by 
side  with  agriculture,  horticulture  and  kindred  in- 
dustries, both  as  a  science  and  remunerative  vocation, 
an  interest  which  should  never  cease  until  our  national 
government  recognizingthe  importance  of  such  knowl- 
edge shall  appropriate  means  for  its  dissemination, 
and  the  educational  bureau  and  colleges  shall  admit 
the  necessity  of  teaching  it  as  an  essential  branch 
of  education.  This  may  and  should  be  recognized 
here,  as  in  other  prominent  nations. 

For  the  last  twenty-three  years  the  Italian  bees 
have  been  thoroughly  tested  and  experimented  with 
in  this  country,  and  although  it  is  now  generally 
admitted  that  they  are  not  a  distinct  race,  yet  the 
opinions  and  statements  of  European  bee-masters 
have  been  verified  and  the  Italian  bees  have  gained 


133 

much  credit  and  heave  proven  in  many  respects  a 
superior  race,  and  careful  selection  and  breeding 
have  produced  the  American  Italians,  which  are  far 
superior  in  ever}-^  respect  to  any  ever  imported  from 
Italy.  Their  markings  and  characteristics  being  well 
known  it  is  not  necessarv  to  allude  to  them  here. 


THE    FIRST    NEWS    OF    THE    CYPRIAX    BEES. 

A  number  of  years  after  the  first  importation  of 
the  Italians,  the  news  came  from  Europe  that  another 
and  superior  race  of  bees  had  been  discovered  on 
Cyprus  Island,  in  the  Mediterranean,  and  soon  after  the 
news  of  their  importation  into  Europe  by  Chancellor 
Cori  of  Bruex,  Bohemia,  and  Earl  Rudolph  Kolow- 
rat-Krakovsky,  frequent  and  interesting  articles  re- 
garding their  excellent  qualities  were  translated  and 
published  in  our  leading  journals  from  the  above  and 
from  the  writings  of  Gravenhurst,  Stahala  and  others, 
men  of  worth  and  ability,  whose  opinions  and  state- 
ments command  respect ;  and  in  almost  every  instance 
the  universal  opinion  concurred  with  that  of  Grav- 
enhurst, who  said  :  "  Count  Kolowrat-Krakovsky, 
Chancellor  Cori,  Hilbert,  Stahala  and  I,  have  written 
on  our  banners,  'C^'prian  bees  everj' where."* 

THE    CYPRIANS    FIRST    IMPORTED    FROM    EUROPE. 

Previous  to  this,  much  had  been  said  about  the 
"  coming  hee"  and  the  bee-keepers  became  electrified 
with  the  hope  that  in  this  new  race  or  its  crosses  with 


134 

the  Italian  was  centred  the  "  Apis  Americana,"  and 
true  to  American  enterprise  and  energy  they  never 
rested  until  several  attempts  were  made  to  introduce 
them.  Mr.  Julius  Hoffman  of  Fort  Plain,  N.  Y.,  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  some  of  the  European  stock,  and  it 
is  stated  that  Mr.  Blood  of  Quincy,  Mass.,  also  re- 
ceived an  importation  ;  hut  this  was  not  enough.  In 
order  that  we  might  be  certain  of  their  purity  they 
must  be  imported  direct  from  Cyprus  Island.  The  in- 
terest continued  to  increase,  and  about  this  time  news 
of  the  Holy  Land  bees  came  to  us  ;  at  last  Mr.  D.  A. 
Jones,  the  bee  king  of  Canada,  a  man  who  had  the 
interest  and  advancement  of  apiculture  at  heart,  se- 
cured the  services  of  the  well-known  and  enthusiastic 
bee-master,  Frank  Benton,  and  together  they  set  sail 
from  New  York  city  (Jan.  1,  1880)  on  a  voyage  of 
more  than  six  thousand  miles  in  search  of  the  new 
races.  I  will  leave  them  here,  passing  over  the  his- 
tory of  their  travels  as  it  has  been  published  in  the 
journals. 

THE  IMPORTATION  OF  THE  CYPRIAN  AND  HOLY  LAND 
BEES  BY  D.  A.  JONES. 

Early  in  June,  1880,  Mr.  Jones  reached  his  home 
in  Beeton,  Out.,  with  one  hundred  colonies  of  Holy 
Land  and  Cyprian  bees,  and  that  year  will  mark 
one  of  the  most  important  and  prominent  eras  in 
the  history  of  apiculture.  Much  credit  is  due  Mr. 
Jones  for  presenting  to  Europe  and  America  the  first 
living  specimens  of  the  Holy  Land  bees,  and  also  for 


135 

first  bringing  to  our  country  Cyprian  bees  direct  from 
Cyprus  Island,  procured  at  an  enormous  expense  as 
well  as  great  sacrifice  of  personal  comfort ;  and  to  Mr. 
Benton  for  the  enthusiastic  and  untiring  energy  with 
which  he  assisted  in  prosecuting  the  work  which  has 
given  to  America  two  of  the  most  important  races  of 
bees  extant;  one  of  which  (the  Holy  Lands)  is,  as 
far  as  can  be  known,  the  first  race  given  to  man. 

Since  the  importation  of  the  Cyprian  and  Holy 
Land  bees,  they  have  been  introduced  into  almost 
every  state  in  the  Union  and  over  a  large  portion  of 
Canada,  and  they  have  been  thoroughly  tested  ;  giv- 
ing results  concurring  almost  invariably  with  the 
statements  of  European  bee-masters. 


THE  MARKINGS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  CYPRIAN 
BEES. 

Cyprian  bees  are  in  many  respects  similar  to  the 
Italian,  and  yet  the}'  have  many  distinctive  features 
by  which  they  plainly  differ  from  them,  viz.  :  all  pure 
Cyprians  are  more  or  less  yellow  on  the  sides  and 
under  parts  of  the  abdomen,  the  tip  or  point  being 
very  black,  the  yellow  part  underneath  their  bodies 
looking  as  glossy  as  though  varnished  ;  in  fact,  when 
the  hive  is  opened  and  the  rays  of  the  sun  penetrate 
between  the  combs,  the  golden  hues  of  the  bees  re- 
flected back  present  a  sight  that  is  simply  l)eautiful, 
and  this  is  one  important  test  of  their  purity.  In  form 
they  are  somewhat  smaller  than  the  Italians,  quite 
slender  and  wasp-like,  with  sharp  pointed  bodies. 


136 

I  have  known  the  Cyprian  queens  to  pass  through 
an  aperture,  through  which  those  of  the  Italian,  Holy 
Land  or  h\i\ck  races,  could  not  pass.  The  hair  cover- 
ing of  the  Cyprian  bee  is  a  lighter  yellow  and  of  a 
lighter  shade  than  that  of  the  Italians.  The  first  three 
rings  of  the  abdomen  are  yellow  (or  orange  color)  the 
entire  width,  while  among  the  Italians  many  of  the 
workers  have  only  two  narrow  ones  and  sometimes 
only  one.  There  are,  however,  Italian  queens  which 
produce  all  three-banded  workers  which  are  uniform 
in  their  markings. 

The  posterior  rings  of  the  bodies  of  Cyprian  workers 
are  broader  than  those  of  the  Italian,  and  when  exam- 
ined you  will  notice  that  the  upper  portion  is  partially 
black,  and  in  terminating  on  the  sides  a  perfect  hulf- 
moon  (there  are  generally  two  of  these)  is  formed 
and  also  that  there  is  no  intermingling  of  color.  With 
pure  Cyprian  bees  this  is  an  invariable  and  uniform 
marking. 

The  Cyprian  bees  are  more  yellow  and  more 
beautiful  than  the  Italians,  and  we  have  every  reason 
to  l)elieve  that  by  careful  selection  and  breeding  they 
will  become  still  more  marked  in  this  respect.  The 
Cyprian  queens  are  generally  longer  lived  than  the 
Italians ;  most  of  the  latter  outlive  their  usefulness 
regarding  prolificness  in  one  or  two  years.  Again, 
the  Cyprian  queens  (as  well  as  the  Holy  Lands)  are 
wonderfully  prolific,  laying  almost  an  incredible  num- 
ber of  eggs  in  a  season,  notwithstanding  they  are 
smaller  and  more  slender  in  form  than  the  Italians. 
The  Cyprians  build  less  drone-comb  than  either  the 


137 

blacks  or  Italians.  When  necessary,  they  fly  farther 
in  search  of  stores.  They  are  strong,  qnick-motioned 
and  very  active,  and  fly  very  swiftly,  more  so  in  fact 
than  the  Italians.  Their  bodies  are  telescopic,  which 
enables  them  to  carry  large  loads  of  honey,  and  to 
contract  at  other  times  to  quite  small  proportions. 
The  Cyprian  bees  are  more  hardy,  and  hence  winter 
better  than  the  Italians,  come  out  better  in  the  spring 
and  do  not  dwindle  so  badly.  They  are  very  ener- 
getic and  determined  in  self-defence  and  in  protecting 
their  stores  against  robbers,  so  much  so  that  they 
seldom  allow  robbers  to  alight,  but  often  meet  and 
seize  them  on  the  wing ;  in  fact,  I  have  found  them 
generally  proof  against  robbing.  They  are  more 
judicious  about  leaving  the  hives  in  unfavorable 
weather  and  have  a  keen  and  more  acute  scent  than 
either  blacks  or  Italians.  They  do  not  stop  breeding 
as  early  in  the  fall  after  the  first  frosts  as  do  the  blacks 
and  Italians,  but  keep  on  breeding,  thus  better  fitting 
them  to  stand  the  long,  cold  winter  and  spring  months, 
so  far  as  having  young  bees  is  concerned. 

Pure  Cyprians  invariably  have  a  beautiful  golden 
shield  between  the  wings  on  the  thorax.  The  Cy- 
prian drones  are  very  handsome,  more  so  in  fact  than 
those  of  any  other  race.  Cyprian  bees  can  be  trans- 
ported more  easily  than  Italians  or  blacks  as  they  do 
not  gorge  themselves  so  freuqently  or  readily  and  can 
easily  contract  their  bodies. 

The  Cyprians  have  gained  the  reputation  of  having 
a  choleric  disposition,  being  easily  irritated,  and  re- 
vengeful to  the  last  degree.  Regarding  this  matter 
opinion  seems  divided,  as  some  of  the  most  noted 


138 

European  writers  state  "that  with  proper  management 
the  Cyprian  bees  can  be  handled  as  safely  as  the 
Italians."  Messrs.  Jones,  Benton,  and  many  others, 
both  in  Canada  and  the  United  States,  agree  with 
them  in  this  opinion,  with  the  exception  that  there  is 
occasionally  a  colony  which  defies  manipulation,  under 
the  mildest  treatment.  The  reason  why  this  is  so  is 
quite  evident.  They  have  been  confined  upon  an  island 
where  forage  (generally  speaking)  is  so  scarce  that 
"Mr.  Benton  wonders  that  there  is  a  bee  left  in  such 
a  country  ;  and  claims  that  where  the  Italians  or  blacks 
could  not  survive  the  Cyprians  will  live  and  thrive," 
and  further  claims  that  only  the  fittest  have  survived. 
The  untiring  energy  and  perseverance  necessary  to 
maintain  a  subsistence  under  such  circumstances  have 
developed  their  characteristic  activity  and  restlessness 
as  well  as  fitted  them  for  better  defending  their  stores. 
It  has  been  said  that  after  being  kept  for  a  few 
years  in  Italy,  Austria  and  Germany,  where  forage 
was  plentiful,  and  subjected  to  careful  breeding  and 
handling,  they  gradually  lost  much  of  their  irritabil- 
ity, and  hence  became  better  natured.  May  this  not 
hold  good  in  our  own  country?  Since  their  intro- 
duction many  poor  hybrid  Cyprian  queens  have  been 
sent  out  all  over  the  country  aspure  Cyprians,^  and  in 

'  It  will  be  remembered  that  queens  reared  from  the  first  imported  Ital- 
ian stock  were  not  uniform  iu  color  or  markings,  many  being  totally  black, 
while  otliers  were  beautifully  yellow  or  golden.  One  queen  would  hatch  and 
prove  beautiful  in  color  and  uniformly  marked,  while  her  sister  from  an 
adjoining  cell  would  be  wholly  black.  I  have  experienced  tliis  same  diffi- 
culty witli  tlie  Cyprians,  and  although  the  queens  of  tliis  race  are  not  as  hand- 
some 01-  beautiful  in  color  as  the  golden  Italians,  the  former  being  generally 
striped  and  olXen  quite  dark,  yet  after  a  few  years  of  careful  selection  and 
breeding  they  will  be  purely  bred  by  all,  more  uniformly  marked  and  better 
natured.  [ed. 


139 

fact,  even  at  the  present  time,  very  few  bee-keepers 
can  compare,  point  out,  and  describe  the  essential 
markings  of  the  queens,  workers,  and  drones,  of  the 
Cyprian  and  Holy  Land  races. 

The  dispositions  of  the  C3^prian  bees  may  be  foulty 
enough,  but  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  may  be  over- 
come by  careful  selection  and  breeding,  and  the  change 
in  climatic  influence,  as  they  far  surpass  the  Italians 
as  honey  gatherers,  breeders,  and  in  cell-building. 

Both  the  Holy  Land  and  Cyprian  bees  are  noted  for 
the  large  number  of  queen-cells  that  they  will  build 
and  care  for.  The  opinion  has  been  advanced  (and  I 
think  that  it  has  reason  on  its  side)  that  the  Cyprian 
bees,  like  the  Italians,  are  not  a  distinct  race,  but  de- 
scendants of  the  Holy  Lands,  and  have  been  confined 
to  this  island  until  they  have  developed  characteristics 
which  give  them  the  appearance  of  a  distinct  race. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  when  we  have  given  the  Cyprians 
a  fair  trial  under  careful  management,  we  shall  find 
them  an  important  addition  to  the  races  which  we  now 
have. 

THE  HOLY  LAND  BEES. 

The  Holy  Lands  (or,  as  the  natives  call  them,  the 
Holy  bees)  are  found  in  Mount  Lebanon,  Mount  of 
Olives,  Mount  Hermon,  the  valley  of  Sharon,  Bethle- 
hem, the  hills  of  Judea,  Jerusalem,  Jordan,  Ammon, 
East  of  Jordan  near  the  desert,  Galilee,  Damascus 
and  various  other  places  in  Syria.  They  have  ex- 
isted thousands  of  years,  evidently  from  the  foun- 


140 

dation  of  the  world,  and  have  had  no  chance  to  mix 
with  other  races  ;  the  monks  in  the  old  convent  near 
Jerusalem  believe  that  they  are  the  first  bees  given 
to  man. 

There  is  but  one  distinct  race  throughout  the  difier- 
ent  portions  of  the  Holy  Land,  although  they  vary 
somewhat  in  minor  characteristics,  and  we  have  every 
reason  to  believe  that  we  have  at  last  reached  the  start- 
ing point,  or  fountain-head  of  superiority ;  that  they 
are  a  distinct  race  and  that  many  of  the  yellow  (or 
golden)  races  may  be  traced  to  the  Holy  Land  bee 
for  their  origin.  They  are  in  very  many  respects 
similar  to  the  Cyprians,  while  they  have  some  prom- 
inent characteristics  and  markings,  by  which  they  may 
be  distinguished  from  any  of  the  other  races. 


THE    MARKINGS    AND    CHARACTERISTICS    OF    THE 
HOLY    LAND    BEES. 

Like  the  Cyprians,  they  have  the  golden  shield 
between  the  wings  on  the  thorax  and  the  black  half 
moon  previously  described  (the  latter  marking  may 
be  seen  better  when  the  bees  are  filled  with  honey 
and  preserved  in  alcohol)  ;  they  are  strong,  energetic 
and  active,  and  although  not  as  irritable  or  vindictive 
as  the  Cyprians,  yet  they  resent  rough  or  careless 
handling  much  sooner  than  do  the  Italians.  They  are 
swift  on  the  wing,  flying  so  rapidly  that  only  those 
heavily  laden  with  honey  can  be  secured  on  the  bloom, 
and  fly  farther  in  search  of  forage,  when  necessary, 
than  the  other  races  ;  again  the  Holy  Lands  have  been 


141 

known  to  work  in  large  numbers  on  red  clover  (large 
heads)  when  there  was  a  plentiful  flow  of  white  clover 
honey. 

The  hair  covering  of  the  Holy  Land  workers  is 
lighter  than  that  of  the  Cyprians  or  Italians  and  they 
have  a  thicker  coat  of  it.  The  alternate  rings  of 
yellow  and  black  are  so  divided  by  the  light  hair  cov- 
ering, that  the  bees  appear  to  be  beautifull}'  striped, 
presenting  an  entirely  diflferent  appearance  from  any 
of  the  other  races  when  clustered  on  the  combs, 
running  around  on  the  front  of  the  hives,  or  on  the 
wing. 

When  the  hive  is  opened  and  the  combs  examined, 
the  young  (just-hatched)  bees  huddle  together  in 
small  clusters  and  tumble  from  the  combs  if  jarred  ; 
notwithstanding  some  of  the  young  bees  are  strik- 
ingly small,  yet  in  a  few  da3-s  they  become  fully  as 
large  as  the  rest ;  characteristics  not  found  in  either  of 
the  other  races.  The  Holy  Land  queens  are  smaller 
than  the  Italians  but  larger  than  the  Cyprian,  not 
being  quite  so  slender,  and  are  fully  as  prolific  as  the 
latter.  The  Holy  Land  bees  are  indisputably  the 
best  race  for  cell-building,  and  if  permitted  will  build 
an  unusually  large  number  of  cells  and  take  good  care 
of  them. 

The  Holy  Land  queens  are  generally  quite  yellow 
while  the  Cyprians  are  very  dark.  The  Holy  Land 
bees  (like  the  Cyprians)  winter  better  than  the  Ital- 
ians, come  out  better  in  the  spring  and  do  not  dwindle 
so  badly ;  they  are  fully  as  energetic  in  defending 
their  stores  against  robbers  and  gathering  honey  as  the 


142 

Cyprians,  and  both  the  Cyprians  and  Holy  Lands 
will  make  a  greater  effort  to  obtain  honey  when  there 
is  a  scarcity,  than  the  other  races. 

Everything  considered,  we  regard  the  Holy  Land 
bees  the  most  superior  race  ever  imported  into  our 
country  and  that  when  they  have  been  subjected  to 
the  same  careful  selection  and  breeding  as  have 
the  Italians,  they  will  command  a  far  more  prominent 
position  among  our  races  than  have  the  Italians. 

THE  APIS  DORSATA. 

Very  little  is  known  of  the  true  merits  and  value 
of  this  new  race  of  bees  ("the  Apis  do7'sata"  or 
bee  of  Ceylon).  True,  a  number  of  very  interest- 
ing articles  have  been  written  regarding  them,  some 
of  which  extol  their  good  qualities  and  beautifully 
picture  them  sipping  from  the  flowers  large  quantities 
of  the  precious  nectar,  inaccessible  as  yet  to  other 
races ;  but  the  facts  in  the  case  do  not  seem  to  war* 
rant  such  imaginations  even. 

From  all  the  information  which  we  are  able  to 
glean  regarding  them ;  they  seem  to  be  rather  indo- 
lent and  shiftless,  with  no  particular  "care  for  the 
morrow,"  losing  what  little  energy  they  do  possess 
when  made  queenless,  and  carrying  a  weapon  of  de^ 
fence,  which  would  almost  defy  a  coat  of  mail. 

In  1881,  Mr.  Frank  Benton,  agent  for  D.  A.  Jones, 
made  a  voyage  to  Java  and  Ceylon,  in  search  of  this 
race  of  bees,  and  after  many  long  and  tiresome  jour- 
neys through  almost  impenetrable  jungles,  alone,  and 


143 

thousands  of  miles  from  his  home  and  fellow  country- 
men, he  secured  two  colonies  of  these  bees  ;  but, 
owing  to  exposure,  over-exertion  and  the  poisonous 
atmosphere,  he  contracted  an  almost  fatal  attack  of 
the  jungle  malarial  fever,  and  was  unable  to  give  proper 
attention  to  the  preparation  of  the  bees  for  their  long 
journey,  the  result  being  that  they  died  when  they 
had  nearly  reached  their  destination.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  at  some  future  day,  other  and  successful 
attempts  will  be  made  to  secure  and  fully  test  them. 
Much  credit  is  certainly  due  Messrs.  Jones  and 
Benton,  although  unsuccessful,  for  the  untiring  en- 
ergy and  perseverance  displayed  in  doing  their  part 
so  well. 


CHARACTERISTICS  AND  MARKINGS  OF  THE 
APIS  DORSATA. 

Mr.  Benton,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Jones,  calls  them 
"wonderful  bees  as  large  as  queens,  blue-backs,  with 
shining  blue  wings  and  orange-colored  bands  under 
them,  having  the  appearance  of  great  wasp-colored 
hornets,  beautiful  but  dangerous  looking,  irritable  and 
very  tenacious  when  excited,  and  after  becoming 
queenless  they  would  take  no  care  of  the  brood  and 
soon  dwindle  away.  Again,  while  very  ferocious  in 
their  forest  home,  where  nothing  but  smoke  will  sub- 
due them,  yet  they  can  be  handled  with  no  fear  and 
without  smoke,  when  in  movable  frame  hives,  pro- 
vided they  are  not  jarred  or  breathed  upon,  and  no 


144 

quick  motion  made.  They  build  combs  four  or  five  feet 
long  and  three  or  three  and  one-quarter  broad,  with 
about  one  and  one-half  bushels  of  bees  to  the  swarm. 
They  do  not  repair  combs  readily  after  being  trans- 
ferred, and  seem  to  inherit  many  of  the  characteristics 
of  our  well-known  bumble  bee. 

Mr.  Benton  also  secured  specimens  of  other  races, 
but  did  not  feel  warranted  in  importing  them  as  he 
did  not  consider  them  very  valuable. 

HUNGARIAN  BEES. 

Four  years  ago,  Mr.  Alley  imported  this  race  of  bees 
(the  Hungarians),  and  after  testing  them  carefully, 
found  them  very  fair  honey-gatherers,  quite  gentle, 
as  much  so  as  pure  Italians  ;  and  the  queens  vigorous 
and  prolific. 

The  queens,  workers,  and  drones  of  this  race  are 
quite  dark,  although  the  hair  covering  of  the  workers 
from  imported  queens  was  whitish  or  light  gray. 
When  trying  to  keep  them  pure,  he  found  that  they 
degenerated  and  soon  became  nearly  similar  to  the 
common  black  bee  in  color,  but  when  crossed  with 
the  Italians,  the  workers  were  quite  handsomely 
marked. 

They  proved  unprofitable  on  account  of  a  great 
propensity  to  swarm,  and  bees  inheriting  this  qual- 
ity or  characteristic  are  of  but  little  account  to 
the  apiarist,  whose  object  is  to  secure  the  largest 
amount  of  surplus  honey.  Where  increase  of  stock 
is  desired,  this  race  cannot  be  excelled. 


145 

THE  COMING  BEE. 

There  is  no  subject  pertaining  to  apiculture  in  which 
I  am  more  deeply  interested,  or  consider  of  more 
importance  to  the  bee-keeping  fraternity,  than  the 
improvement  of  our  races. 

Many  of  our  most  intelligent,  thoughtful  and  prac- 
tical bee-masters  are  studying  and  experimenting 
carefully  with  the  diiferent  races,  in  order  to  develop 
a  strain  of  bees  which  shall  include  all  the  most  desir- 
able qualities  and  justly  merit  the  title  of  the  Apis 
Americana. 

I  believe,  with  them,  that  this  can  only  be  accom- 
plished by  careful  and  judicious  selection  and  still 
more  careful  breeding.  Further,  I  believe  that  no 
race  or  strain  of  bees  extant  possesses  all  the  necessary 
qualities  or  characteristics. 

As  a  people,  we  are  often  too  sanguine  and  are  not 
content  to  follow  the  straight  and  sure  but  slower 
path  which  leads  to  success.  "We  too  often  junip  at 
conclusions  and  then  attempt  to  establish  or  prove 
them  afterwards,  instead  of  carefully  investigating 
and  thoroughly  settling  every  point  conclusively  as 
we  proceed ;  and  never  has  any  race  of  bees  been 
long  imported  into  this  country  before  its  merits  and 
value  were  decided  upon,  —  decisions  that  in  many 
instances  were  withdrawn  after  thorough  trial  and 
testing  of  said  race.  For  instance,  many  of  the  first 
Italians  imported  were  faulty,  and  soon  after  their 
introduction  into  this  country,  many  prominent  apia- 
rists, who  to-day  are  the  strongest  supporters  of  their 
10 


146 

good  qualities,  then  pronounced  them  an  inferior  race 
of  bees,  and  no  better  than  our  German  bees. 

Again,  it  has  been  only  about  three  years  since  the 
Cyprians  and  Holy  Lands  were  first  imported ;  and 
yet  to-da}^  many  of  those  seemingly  good  judges, 
pronounce  them  no  better  and  perhaps  inferior  to 
some  of  the  races  and  strains  which  we  now  have, 
while  I  am  confident  that  time  and  experience  will 
demonstrate  their  mistake  ;  and,  further,  that  one  of 
these  races,  at  least,  is  to  figure  largely  in  the 
"coming  bee." 


THE    NECESSARY    QUALITIES    OF    THE    COMING    BEE. 

The  question  now  is,  What  shall  constitute  the  race 
or  strain  which  shall  sit  enthroned  upon  this  the 
highest  position  among  the  races,  and  upon  what 
foundation  shall  we  build?     I  would  reply  : 

1.  They  must  be  a  hardy  race,  able  to  withstand 
successfully  the  tr}ing  changes  and  severe  winters 
of  our  northern  climate. 

2.  Good  breeders  :  keeping  the  hives  well  supplied 
with  brood  and  young  bees  from  spring  to  fall  and 
even  during  the  most  trying  portions  of  the  sea- 
son, as  success  depends  largely  on  strong  populous 
colonies. 

3.  Gentle  and  quiet  in  their  movements,  thus 
permitting  of  easy  manipulation  and  this  without 
diminishing  their  working  qualities. 

4.  Good  honey-gatherers,  energetic,  determined, 


147 

and  successful  in  their  efforts  to  secure  every  drop 
of  the  precious  nectar,  which  circumstances  will  per- 
mit, storing  and  capping  the  same  in  an  attractive 
manner,  and  fully  as  energetic  and  determined  in 
protecting  their  stores  and  homes  against  the  inva- 
sion of  robber  bees. 

5.  Strong  and  active  on  the  wing,  and  capable  of 
making  long  journeys  when  necessary,  without  being 
exhausted. 

6.  Long-tongued,  in  order  that  they  may  sip  the 
precious  nectar,  as  yet  inaccessible  to  the  bees,  from 
the  many  honey-producing  flowers  which  now  refuse 
to  yield  up  their  hidden  sweets,  wasting  them  on  the 
summer  air;  and,  finall\',  beautifully  and  uniformly 
marked,  also  duplicating  the  above  markings,  quali- 
ties and  characteristics, 

I  would  thus  picture  the  coming  bee,  or  Apis  Am- 
ericana. 


THE  HOLY  LAXDS  THE  FOUNDATION  OF  THE 
COMING  BEE. 

The  question  now  arises,  Have  we  any  distinct 
race  or  strain  of  bees  which  shall  form  the  basis  or 
starting  point  upon  which  we  may  build  ?  I  would 
most  emphatically  affirm  that  in  the  new  race,  the 
Hcl}^  Lands,  we  have  (as  far  as  can  be  known)  the 
original  race  of  bees  or  the  fountain-head  ;  and  further, 
that  in  them  we  find  a  larger  number  of  the  necessary 
qualities  than  in  any  other  race  or  strain  extant.  I 
will  admit  that  I  am  using  strong  language,  but  my 


148 

association  with  Mr.  D.  A.  Jones,  at  his  home  in 
Beeton,  Ont.,  during  the  season  of  1881,  and  my 
subsequent  experience  with  the  new  race,  regarding 
queen-breeding,  honey-gathering  and  wintering,  fully 
warrant  nie  in  making  the  statements  which  I  do. 
Mr.  Jones  is  most  thoroughly  practical  in  conducting 
his  experiments  in  the  apiary.  He  has  thoroughly 
tested  these  races  and  given  an  honest  description 
of  them ;  and,  although  he  has  never  received  ade- 
quate remuneration  for  his  whole-souled  and  extended 
efforts,  yet  posterity  will  render  him  the  credit  due 
him  for  the  boon  which  he  has  conferred  upon  api- 
culture. 

No  race  of  bees  will  fly  more  rapidly  or  farther 
(when  necessary)  in  search  of  honey,  than  will  the 
Holy  Lands,  nor  are  any  more  hardy  than  they,  and 
while  not  as  gentle  as  some  of  our  Italians,  yet, 
when  carefully  handled,  I  have  experienced  no  diffi- 
culty in  this  wise. 

As  honey-gatherers  and  breeders,  they  are  not  ex- 
celled, and  woe  to  the  luckless  robl)er  bees  which 
attempt  to  invade  their  homes  and  fall  into  their 
hands. 

They  have  been  known  to  fly  (in  Palestine)  six 
and  one-half  miles  to  obtain  pasturage.  I  consider 
them  a  beautiful  race  of  bees,  although  their  type  of 
beauty  difiers  from  that  of  any  other  race. 

I  have  used  bees  for  queen-rearing  from  nearly 
every  race  and  many  of  the  crosses,  and  find  that  the 
Holy  Lands  have  no  superior  for  this  pur[)ose. 

At  Beeton,  in  company  with  Mr.  Jones,  I  have  wit- 


149 

nessed  large  numbers  of  Holy  Land  bees  at  work  on 
the  red  clover  (large  heach)  when  there  was  a  plentiful 
flow  of  white  clover  honey,  and  have  known  tliera 
to  work  on  forage,  in  large  numbers,  farther  from  the 
apiary  than  the  other  races. 

Mr.  Jones  stated  to  me  that  his  Holy  Land  and 
Cyprian  bees  and  their  crosses  stored  from  ten  to 
twenty  pounds  more  honey  in  the  fall  of  1881,  and 
went  into  winter  quarters  in  better  condition  than  the 
other  races - 

These,  with  many  other  experiences  and  facts  con- 
nected with  the  Holy  Lands,  fully  support  me  in  stat- 
ing that  in  them  we  have  the  foundation  on  which 
to  build  the  Apis  Americana, 


HOW  SHALL  WE  DEVELOP  THE  COMING  BEE? 

The  question  now  arises,  AVhat  course  shall  we 
adopt  in  order  to  develop  properly  the  coming  bee? 
As  previously  stated,  I  do  not  consider  that  the  Holy 
Lands  (of  to-day)  nor  any  other  race  or  strain 
of  bees  possesses  all  the  necessary  characteristics. 
While  we  find  many  desirable  qualities  in  the  Italian, 
German,  Cyprian,  and  Holy  Land  bees,  yet  with 
Mr.  Heddon  and  many  other  prominent,  practical  and 
successful  bee-masters,  I  maintain  that  onl}-"  a  care- 
ful selection  of  those  having  desirable  qualities  from 
any  or  all  the  races,  and  the  happy  combination  of  all 
these  qualities  by  careful  breeding,  will  ever  develop 
the  long-hoped-for  race. 


150 

There  was  never  a  greater  curse  pronounced  upon 
the  future  [)rosperity  of  apiculture  than  the  cheap 
queen  traffic,  and  many  long  years  will  elapse  ere  we 
can  eradicate  the  direful  effects  produced  by  it ;  and  I 
deem  it  the  duty  ofevery  intelligent  bee-master,  having 
the  interests  and  success  of  apiculture  at  heart,  to 
protest  strongly  against  any  measures  which  tend  to 
lower  the  dignity  of  this  branch  of  industry,  and  I  am 
pleased  to  know  that  a  majority  of  the  most  noted 
and  successful  apiarists  join  hands  with  me  in  the 
fact  that  the  sooner  the  bee-keeping  fiaternity  realize 
the  importance  of  this  matter  and  patronize  only 
those  who  pay  strict  attention  to  careful  selection 
and  breeding,  the  sooner  we  shall  realize  our  expec- 
tations rei>;ardin<i^  the  coming  bee. 

I  look  for  the  best  results  from  a  cross  between 
the  young  queens  of  our  best  American  Italians  and 
Holy  Land  drones  ;  with  perhaps  a  mixture  of  Ger- 
man blood. 

The  largest  and  best  working  bees  that  I  ever  saw 
were  the  progeny  of  a  cross  between  the  young 
queens  from  an  Italism  mother,  and  Holy  Land 
drones,  which  I  bred  while  with  Mr.  Jones.  I  intend 
to  make  this  matter  a  subject  of  careful  experimenting 
and  study,  to  hasten,  if  possible,  the  time  when  we 
shall  have  solved  this  question. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  modus  operandi 
of  the  necessary  selection  and  breeding,  leaving  this 
to  the  author  of  this  work,  my  teacher,  the  one  to 
whom  I  am  most  iiidi'l)ted  for  a  i)ractical  knowledge 
of  scicutilic  queen-rearing  and  to  whose  credit  may 


151 

justly  be  said  that  "  while  our  beloved  Quinby  and 
Langstroth  were  the  fathers  of  practical  apiculture 
in  America,"  Mr.  Alley  has  completed  the  worlc  by 
introducing  and  establishing  the  only  scientific  and 
practical  method  of  rearing  queen  bees. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  state  that  I  have  spoken 
plainly  in  this  matter  because  I  have  the  best  inter- 
ests of  apiculture  at  heart,  and  feel  deeply  the  im- 
portance of  a  more  thorough  knowledge  of  this 
matter,  and  consider  that  when  more  strict  attention 
is  paid  to  rearing  better  (^not  cheaper)  queens,  we 
shall  have  made  a  grand  move  in  the  right  direction ; 
further,  that  this  is  the  only  road  which  leads  to  ulti- 
mate success,  and  would  again  urge  my  bee-keeping 
friends  to  study  to  select  only  the  best,  and  pay  care- 
ful attention  to  breeding  if  they  wish  to  aid  in  pro- 
ducing the  coming  bee,  or  the  Apis  Americana. 

Salem,  Mass.,  Mar.  2-t,  1883. 


GENERAL  REMARKS. 


THE  OBSERVATORY  HIVE  A  SOURCE  OF  PLEASURE 
AND  PROFIT. 

Apiculture  presents  to  the  student  of  nature  one 
vast  and  never-failing  field  of  hidden  treasure,  surpass- 
ingly beautiful  in  its  grandeur,  while  hours  of  pleasure 
and  instruction  may  be  profitably  spent  in  searching 
it  out.  It  has  been  said  that,  "  the  ajpis  (or  bee)  is 
the  last  and  most  wonderful  of  the  insect  creation, 
as  was  man  of  the  animal  creation."  Be  this  as  it 
may,  the  bee  in  its  construction  of  comb  puts  to 
shame  the  most  advanced  knowledge  of  mechanism, 
and  its  instinct  amounts  almost  to  reason.  He  who 
loves  the  study  of  the  beautiful  and  grand  in  the 
Creator's  handiwork  cannot  fail  to  find  pleasure  in 
studying  the  bees.  Their  form  of  government  is 
monarchical  and  yet  democratic ;  as,  when  the  bees 
deem  it  conducive  to  the  welfiu-e  of  the  colony  that 
the  queen  be  superseded,  they  commence  at  once  to 
provide  another,  and  seemingly  with  almost  human 
afiection  ;  quite  frequently  they  permit  the  old  queen 
to  live  until  her  royal  daughter  assumes  her  position 
as  mother  bee,  and  then  she  is  destroyed. 

To  make  a  colony  queenless  and  then  watch  and 
study  their  movements  and  actions,  through  the  vari- 
ous stages  of  development,  while  replacing  their  lost 

(153) 


154 

queen,  is  a  source  of  unceasing  pleasure  and  grati- 
fication. In  fact,  those  who  enter  into  the  stiuly  of 
apiculture,  either  for  profit  or  pleasure,  will  find 
themselves  w^ell  paid  for  their  efforts.  One  of  the 
best  aids  to  this  study  is  the  observatory  hive.  By 
its  use  we  may  study  and  experiment  Avith  the  bees 
without  danger  from  their  stings,  and  I  know  of 
nothing  used  in  connection  with  the  apiary  which 
affords  so  much  of  genuine  amusement  and  instruc- 
tion to  the  student,  family  or  friends,  as  does  such  a 
hive.  It  is  an  endless  source  of  amusement  and 
pleasure  to  the  children  to  watch  the  queen  and  bees 
as  they  move  about  on  the  comb,  bring  in  and  deposit 
the  honey,  or  their  return  from  the  fields  with  their 
leg  baskets  filled  with  pollen.  I  have  seen  thousands 
of  people  at  our  county  fair  (where  I  generally  ex- 
hibit one  of  these  hives)  flock  around  and  ply  me 
with  innumerable  questions  about  bees  and  their 
habits  :  indeed,  such  exhibits  generally  attract  the 
notice  of  the  larger  portion  of  those  who  attend. 

It  may  be  placed  in  the  office  or  parlor,  and  so  ar- 
ranged that  the  bees  can  pass  out  through  the  window, 
without  defacing  anything,  and  really  form  a  pleasing 
addition  to  the  furniture  of  the  room.  It  may  be 
constructed  and  ornamented  to  suit  the  taste.  All 
the  operations  of  the  hive  may  be  witnessed  at  any 
hour  of  the  day,  and  unless  the  glass  is  kept  uncov- 
ered too  long  at  a  time,  the  bees  will  not  be  disturbed 
in  the  least.  I  feel  confident  that  there  are  many 
interesting  and  essential  features  of  apiculture,  which 
are  practically  unknown  to  many  bee-keepers  (even 


155 

though  they  read  the  journuls  carefully  and  con- 
stantly), Avith  Avliich  they  may  become  familiar  in  the 
use  of  an  observatory  hive.  For  iiistaiue,  the 
modus  operandi  of  the  bee  in  removing  the  pollen 
from  its  legs,  the  action  of  the  bee  when  just  made 
queenless,  and  many  others.  By  having  one  of  these 
hives  at  hand,  not  only  these,  but  every  operation  of 
a  full  colon}',  except  the  storing  of  surplus  honey  in 
the  caps,  may  be  witnessed.  Again,  by  its  use,  the 
first  lessons  in  queen-rearing  may  be  taken.  When 
first  made  queenless  the  bees  give  evidence  of  the 
loss  l)y  running  about  the  hive  in  a  distracted  man- 
ner, giving  utterance  to  a  loud  and  mournful  hum  or 
buzz,  showing  at  once  that  the  mother  is  gone.  In 
the  course  of  a  few  hours  the  bees  will  connnence  to 
construct  cells  in  favorable  kjcalities  near  the  centre, 
edge,  or  bottom  of  the  comb.  In  a  few  hours  several 
will  be  started,  and  more  or  less  for  two  or  three 
days  after  the  queen  is  removed.  In  the  course  of 
three  or  four  days  the  first  cells  will  be  sealed,  and 
in  eight  days  more  the  first  queen  will  emerge.  If 
the  weather  is  favorable,  she  will  be  fertilized  when 
she  is  five  days  old,  and  begin  to  deposit  eggs  in  the 
course  of  forty-eight  hours. 

These  are  only  a  few  of  the  many  interesting  oper- 
ations which  may  be  witnessed  from  day  to  day  with 
one  of  these  hives.  If  the  apiarist  has  children  who 
take  an  interest  in  such  stud\',  there  is  no  possible 
way  in  which  he  can  teach  them  more  of  apiculture 
than  by  this.  They  soon  become  as  familiar  with  the 
workings  and  operations  of  the  bees  as  though  they 
were  lending  a  helping  hand  in  the  apiary. 


156 

SHIPPING   BEES    BY   MAIL. 

The  practice  of  shipping  bees  by  mail  has  been 
carried  on  for  twenty  years,  and  yet  this  part  of  the 
business  has  not  yet  been  perfected  and  the  results 
are  still  unsatisfactory.  Experiments  conducted  in 
the  season  of  1882,  however,  were  not  only  more 
successful  than  those  of  previous  years,  but  gave  re- 
sults as  nearly  perfect  as  we  may  expect  under  the 
circumstances. 

I.  R.  Good,  of  Nappanee,  Ind.,  has  devised  a  food 
composed  of  sugar  and  honey  that  has  given  good 
results,  and  yet  it  is  somewhat  imperfect,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  when  the  bees  have  extracted  the  honey 
from  it,  the  dry  sugar  crumbles,  and  is  scattered 
about  the  cage,  either  stopping  the  ventilation  or 
sifting  through  the  wire-cloth  into  the  mail-pouch  ; 
but,  perhaps,  after  further  experimenting,  this  diffi- 
culty may  be  obviated.  The  only  advantage  or  ben- 
e6t  of  the  sugar  is,  that  it  retains  the  honey  mixed 
with  it,  and  in  view  of  this  is  it  not  better  to  use  an 
absorbent  to  retain  the  honey  which  is  not  subject  to 
this  imperfection? 

During  the  season  of  1882,  I  experienced  just  as 
good  results  from  using  sponges,  properly  filled  with 
honey,  in  my  shipping  cages  as  did  Mr.  Good  with 
his  food ;  and  not  one  queen  died  on  account  of  a 
lack  of  food  or  manner  of  shipping. 

The  mail-pouches  are  handled  very  roughly,  and 
quite  often  are  left  at  some  way-station  and  subjected 
to   the    scorching  rays  of  the  sun    when    the  glass 


157 

stands  from  90°  to  100°  iu  the  shade ;  again  the 
weather  may  be  quite  warm  at  the  shipping  point, 
but  before  the  bees  reach  their  destination,  they  may 
meet  a  "cold  wave,"  the  temperature  lowering  to  the 
freezing  point  and  perhaps  several  degrees  below. 
This,  however,  seldom  occurs  until  after  the  middle 
of  September.  The  cages  are  sometimes  tampered 
with,  the  bees  occasionally  die  from  no  apparent 
cause,  and  in  view  of  this  it  is  unreasonable  to  ex- 
pect that  every  queen  shipped  will  reach  its  destina- 
tion in  safety. 

The  cages  should  be  neat,  durable  in  their  con- 
struction, and  need  not  be  bulk}'  or  heavy.  There 
should  be  no  tin  or  glass  connected  Avith  them,  as 
glass  is  unmailable,  and  tin  is  too  cold,  chilling  the 
bees,  and  being  so  smooth  that  it  offers  no  foothold, 
thus  causing  them  to  be  thrown  about  the  cages  more. 
Ventilating  holes  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter 
answer  much  better  than  larger  ones,  as  they  supply 
all  the  air  necessary,  and  do  not  offer  such  tempting 
inducements  to  the  inquisitive  post-oiEce  clerks  to  ex- 
periment with  them  as  they  pass  through  the  mails. 

The  cage  that  I  use  is  three  inches  long,  one  and 
seven-eighths  inches  wide,  and  three-fourths  of  an 
inch  thick.  A  hole  one  and  a  half  inches  in  di- 
ameter is  made  through  it,  forming  an  apartment  for 
the  bees,  and  another  hole  an  inch  in  diameter  is 
made  for  the  sponge  as  in  fig.  15. 

When  but  one  queen  is  to  be  shipped,  cut  a  piece  of 
thin  wood,  the  exact  size  of  the  cage,  and  one-eighth 
of  an  inch  thick,  and  nail  it  on  one  side  of  the  block ; 


158 


then  cut  a  piece  of  wire-cloth  (twelve  mesh  to  the 
iiich),:i  little  smaller  than  the  cage,  and  afterputting 
in  the  sponge  nail  it  on  the  other  side,  using  six 
(three  ounce)  tacks,  leaving  one  corner  unnailed 
until  the  bees  and  queen  have  been  put  in. 

To  put  the  queen  and  bees  into  the  cage  take  it 
in  the  left  hand  with  the  wire-cloth  i'acing  you,  and 
the  lower  end  (or  that  containing  the  sponge)  to- 
wards the  wrist ;  the  upper  right  hand  corner  of  the 
wire-cloth   which  has  been  left    unnailed  should  be 


Fig.  15.    Shipping  Cage. 


held  open  with  the  thumb  and  finger;  next  put  in 
from  six  to  ten  bees\  taking  them  by  the  wings  and 
selecting  the  smallest  bees  that  you  can  find,  but  not 
the  very  youngest  nor  those  that  are  just  ready  to 
take  a  cleansing  flight.  After  this  has  been  done, 
take  the  queen  carefully  by  the  wings  and  put  her 
into  the  cage,  then  slowly  let  the  corner  of  the  wire- 
cloth  back  into  place,  so  as  not  to  pinch  the  heads  of 


1  When  sliipping  queens  that  have  been  taken  IVoni  the  qiieon-nnrsory, 
or  in  any  instance  where  you  cannot  use  bees  I'rom  tlie  same  colonies  from 
wliich  tlie  queens  were  taken,  take  thejn  Irom  tUose  that  have  been  queen- 
less  tliree  days  or  more. 


159 

the  queen  or  bees,  and  tack  it  clown.  Now  take  the 
cap  (c)  which  has  the  ventilating  hole  in  it,  and  nail 
it  over  the  wire-cloth,  using  four  three-quarters  inch 
wire  or  cigar-box  nails,  putting  one  in  each  corner. 

Bees  thus  prepared  will  go  safe  when  they  are  not 
more  than  seven  or  eight  days  on  the  road,  but  when 
they  are  to  be  from  ten  to  twelve  days  in  transit, 
make  the  cages  nearly  twice  as  thick  (but  no  larger 
otherwise),  as  this  gives  room  for  a  larger  sponge 
and  double  the  amount  of  honey. 

When  two  queens  are  to  be  shipped  to  one  ad- 
dress, cover  both  sides  of  the  cages  with  wire-cloth, 
nail  the  ventilating  cap  on  one  side  of  each,  and  then 
place  the  face  (or  wire-cloth  covered)  sides  together, 
reversing  the  sponge  ends,  so  that  the  l)ees  in  either 
cage  may  take  food  from  the  sponge  in  the  other. 

When  sending  three  or  more  queens  the  middle 
cages  will  not  need  any  caps,  but  the  sponges  should 
be  reversed  as  in  the  former  instance,  and  the  bees 
will  be  sufficiently  ventilated  through  the  outside 
cages.  It  would  not  be  advisable  to  ship  more  than 
six  queens  in  any  one  lot.  When  the  cages  are  ready 
to  pack,  place  them  in  a  vice,  and  after  pressing 
them  together  tie  a  strong  string  around  them. 

The  food  in  the  sponges  is  composed  of  four  parts 
honey  and  one  part  water,  and  in  filling  them  the 
surplus  food  should  be  pressed  out  in  order  that  it 
may  not  run  out  and  daul)  the  l)ees  or  mail.  The 
small  hole  for  the  sponge  should  be  lined  or  coated 
with  hot  bees-wax  and  rosin.  This,  however,  is  not 
necessary  unless  the  bees  are  to  be  four  or  more  days 


160 

in  transit.  A  label  should  be  pasted  on  one  side  of 
the  cage,  with  the  address  plainly  written  upon  it. 
By  not  adopting  this  method  I  lost  seventy-five 
queens  in  the  season  of  1882. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  again  caution  queen-dealers 
to  be  very  careful,  both  in  preparing  and  shipping  bees 
by  mail.  The  cages  must  be  strong  and  durable  or 
they  may  be  crushed,  and  no  food  should  be  used 
which  is  liable  to  injure  the  mails :  such  as  loose 
honey,  honey  in  the  comb,  or  sugar  food  that  will 
crumble  and  sift  out  of  the  cages.  The  wire-cloth 
should  be  covered  in  such  a  way  that  the  bees  will 
be  protected  from  injury  at  the  hands  of  inquisitive 
post-office  clerks,  and  the  clerks  be  protected  from 
the  stings  of  the  bees  (I  have  received  bees  in  cages 
when  the  wire-cloth  was  unprotected)  ;  for,  perchance, 
miless  this  is  done  some  clerk  may  pinch  the  protud- 
ing  foot  of  some  luckless  bee  and  receive  a  "stinging 
rebuke."  This  and  other  careless  neglect  may  cause 
complaint  and  result  in  the  suspension  of  the  impor- 
tant and  invaluable  privilege  of  shipping  bees  by 
mail. 

A    NEW    WAY    TO    TEST    QUEENS. 

The  hives  containing  queens  to  be  tested  should 
be  numbered  and  a  correct  record  kept  of  the  queens, 
their  origin,  age,  the  time  when  they  commenced 
to  lay  and  all  the  necessary  particulars  concerning 
them.  Now,  if  there  is  not  room  for  all  the  matur- 
ing cells   in  the  nuclei,  queens  to  be  tested  may  be 


161 

removed  to  the  nursery  after  they  have  been  laying 
for  one  week  or  more.  The  cages  must  be  well  sup- 
plied with  food  and  the  numbers  of  the  queens 
marked  upon  them.  The  nursery  should  then  be 
placed  in  the  brood-chamber  of  some  full  colony. 

Queens  may  be  kept  in  this  way  until  their  worker 
progeny  has  hatched.  If  the  brood  left  by  the 
queens  was  put  in  the  combs  solid,  and  the  young 
bees  hatch  out  strong,  vigorous,  and  show  unmis- 
takable signs  of  purity,  the  queens  may  then  be  shipped 
at  once.  The  colonies  thus  made  queenless  may  be 
either  supplied  with  cells,  or,  if  these  are  not  at 
hand,  with  young  queens  introduced  by  the  method 
previously  explained. 

CLIPPING  queens'  wings  AND  SWARMING. 

I  have  never  practised  clipping  queens'  wings  as  I 
consider  it  not  only  useless  but  also  very  injudicious. 
I  am  not  prepared  to  say  that  it  is  any  direct  injury 
to  the  queens,  but  I  know  that  it  does  not  prevent 
swarming;  instead,  it  surely  makes  matters  worse 
when  this  does  take  place.  When  bees  are  prepared 
to  swarm  they  will  do  so  notwithstanding  the  queen 
has  but  one  wing,  and  if  the  hive  is  on  a  stand  one 
foot  or  more  above  the  ground,  the  queen  may  be 
lost,  and  if  she  is  not  lost  but  returns  to  the  hive, 
the  swarm  will  issue  again  and  continue  so  to  do  un- 
less, in  the  meantime,  the  old  queen  is  destroyed. 
When  the  young  queen  emerges  from  the  cell,  the 
swarm  will  then  issue  if  the  weather  is  favorable. 


162 

HOW   TO   PREVENT   SWARMING. 

If  the  apiarist  does  not  wish  to  increase  his  num- 
ber of  colonies,  he  may  unite  two  of  the  swarms  iu 
one,  <riving  them  sufficient  room  in  which  to  store 
their  honey.  The  only  way  that  I  know  to  prevent 
swarming  is  by  interchanging  the  queens,  first  re- 
moving them  and  keeping  the  colonies  queenless  for 
three  days ;  then  again  introduce  the  queens  by 
directions  given  on  page  26.  The  cells  which  have 
been  started  will  be  destroyed.  This  has  the  effect  of 
diminishing  the  swarming  fever. 

Swarming,  however,  cannot  be  prevented  without 
considerable  trouble,  and  I  know  of  no  practical  way 
to  prevent  it  altogether.  When  they  have  swarmed, 
it  is  about  as  well  to  let  the  bees  have  their  own  way 
in  this  matter,  and  control  a  too  rapid  increase  by 
doubling  up  the  colonies  as  they  issue. 

HANDLING  NEW  SWARMS  ;    HIVING,    ETC. 

When  a  swarm  has  issued,  it  should  be  allowed  to 
settle  before  being  disturbed,  and  when  the  bees  have 
become  quiet,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  sprinkle  them  with 
water,  as  it  causes  the  bees  to  cluster  more  closely 
and  also  checks  their  disposition  to  fly  or  sting,  as 
they  at  times  seem  inclined  to  do.  I  find  that  the 
"Whitman's  Fountain  Pump,"  fig.  16,  is  just  the  thing 
for  this  purpose. 

Bees  sometimes  settle  upon  the  liml)  of  a  tree,  a 
immber  of  feet  from  the  ground,  making   it   quite 


163 


difficult  to  reach  them,  but  by  the  use  of  this  pump, 
they  may  be  easily  sprinkled,  thus  completely  sub- 
duing them.  Again,  if  the  bees  do  not  seem  disposed 
to  alight,  the  use  of  the  fountain  pump  will  soon 
cause  them  to  rush  "pell-mell"  for  some  place  on  which 
to  settle. 


I  generally  use  a  bushel  basket  in  hiving  bees 
when  they  cluster  in  a  convenient  position  ;  or,  if  hem- 
lock-saplings can  conveniently  be  obtained,  cut  a  light 
one  and  trim  off  all  the  branches  excepting  those  at 
the  end.  Now,  if  the  swarm  has  clustered,  work  the 
brush  end   of  the  sapling  in  among  them  and  then 


164 

slightly  jar  the  limb  on  which  the  bees  are  clustered  ; 
continue  to  do  this  until  there  is  quite  a  cluster  of 
them  on  the  sapling,  then  with  a  sudden  jar  shake 
the  remaining  bees  from  the  limb,  standing  one  end 
of  the  sapling  on  the  ground  to  support  it  and  care- 
fully swinging  it  away  from  the  tree  and  holding  it 
there  until  nearly  all  of  the  bees  have  settled  on  it. 
They  may  then  be  carried  and  shaken  down  in  front 
of  a  hive  prepared  to  receive  them. 

Place  the  hive  upon  the  stand,  grass,  or  in  any 
convenient  and  handy  position ;  then,  if  the  basket 
is  used,  shake  the  bees  (by  a  sudden  jar)  into  it,  and 
turn  them  down  in  front  of  the  hive,  paying  no  at- 
tention to  those  which  take  wing  as  they  will  soon 
return  and  enter  with  the  rest,  but  should  some  of 
the  bees  still  persist  in  clustering  on  the  limb,  jar 
them  off  until  they  discover  and  enter  the  hive  ;  after 
this  has  been  done  and  the  bees  have  all  entered, 
place  them  upon  the  stand  which  they  are  to  occupy. 


THE  USE  OP  TOBACCO. 

Perhaps  my  friends  may  conclude  that  I  have  rec- 
ommended tobacco  for  introducing  queens,  because  I 
am  addicted  to  the  habit  myself.  I  would  here  state 
that  I  never  have  used  the  filthy  weed  other  than  for 
the  purposes  stated,  and  although  I  have  used  to- 
bacco in  my  apiaries  for  twenty-five  years,  yet  I 
never  have  become  so  accustomed  to  it  that  the  taste, 
and  even  the  smell  of  it  are  not  obnoxious  to  me. 


165 

For  fumigating  bees,  I  use  a  smoker  constructed  as 
follows  :  a  tin  tube  six  inches  long,  and  seven-eighths 
of  an  inch  in  diameter,  with  a  wooden  stopper  in  each 
end.  The  one  through  which  the  smoke  is  blown  has 
a  small  tin  tube  running  through  it  projecting  about 
one  inch  beyond  the  end,  so  that  the  smoke  can  be 
directed  to  any  particular  point  or  part  of  the  hive. 
The  other  forms  a  mouthpiece  and  has  a  small  hole 
bored  through  it  (lengthwise  of  course).  The  smok- 
er is  held  between  the  teeth  leaving  the  hands  at 
liberty.  To  light  it,  remove  the  mouthpiece,  place 
the  small  tube  in  the  mouth  and  proceed  the  same  as 
with  a  pipe  or  cigar.  I  have  had  occasion  to  use  this 
pipe  as  many  as  fifty  times  in  one  day,  but  this  was 
before  the  bellows  smoker  came  into  use. 


IN-AND-IN   BREEDING. 

I  do  not  think  that  sufficient  attention  has  been 
given  this  subject  by  the  writers  in  the  various  bee 
journals ;  it  might  well  replace  many  subjects  of 
minor  importance. 

In  my  experience  as  a  queen-dealer,  I  have  always 
kept  in  mind  the  importance  of  proper  selection  and 
careful  breeding  as  connected  with  the  improvement 
of  the  bee.  The  drone  as  well  as  the  queen  should 
be  up  to  the  standard  in  points  of  excellence  in  every 
respect. 

In  rearing  queens  more  attention  should  be  paid  to 
the  selection  of  the  drone  than  of  the  queen,  as  the 


166 

former  exerts  the  greater  influence  in  transmitting 
qualities.  I  do  not  wish  my  readers  to  think  that  I 
would  undervalue  the  influence  of  the  queen-bee  in 
this  matter ;  on  the  contrary,  the  best  possible  selec- 
tion should  be  made  of  both  sexes,  and  in-and-in 
breeding  should  be  avoided  as  much  as  possible,  al- 
though I  am  not  sure  that  its  results  would  be  felt  in  a 
large  apiary  for  several  j^ears. 

In  some  counties  where  bees  are  kept  in  consid- 
erable numbers,  I  have  leaiiied  that  nearly  all  of 
them  originated  in  some  one  prominent  apiary,  and 
the  bees  to  all  appearances  continued  hardy  and 
vigorous. 

The  Cyprian  bees  have  been  confined  for  ages  up- 
on Cyprus  Island,  and  who  will  say  that  they  are 
not  both  hardy  and  "  vigorous.'' 

While  for  a  time  at  least  no  apparent  evils  may 
result  from  in-and-in  breeding,  yet  I  would  again  ad- 
vise a  careful  introduction  of  good-blooded  stock  in- 
to our  apiaries,  and  also  that  in-and-in  breeding  should 
be  carefully  avoided  by  every  possible  means. 


BEE  PASTURAGE. 

It  has  been  truthfully  stated  that  the  demand  for 
first-class  honey  far  exceeds  the  supply,  and  even 
though  the  millions  of  pounds  now  produced  be 
doubled  or  trebled,  yet  the  demand  will  proportion- 
ately increase.  With  a  better  knowledge  of  the  best 
methods  of  producing  and  marketing  honey,  we  are 


167 

reducing  the  attending  expenses  and  increasing  its 
production ;  and  although  (as  has  been  the  case 
with  all  new  articles  of  food)  we  find  many  ol)stacles 
to  surmount  in  creating  a  marlvct  for  our  honey,  yet  we 
may  feel  gratified  to  know  that  it  is  fast  becoming  a 
staple  article  of  commerce  and  is  gradually  taking  the 
place  of  many  of  the  sj-rups. 

One  great  difficulty,  however,  stands  in  our  way 
and  demands  our  careful  consideration  and  attention. 
I  refer  to  pasturage  for  our  bees.  From  the  first 
vivating  touch  of  the  warm  sunshine  of  spring,  until 
the  landscape  is  robed  in  white  for  a  winter's  rest, 
the  supply  of  forage  from  which  our  surplus  honey 
is  gathered,  is  irregular;  or  rather  there  are  many 
"dead  points"  or  honey  dearths. 

The  vast  and  luxuriant  forests  of  basswood,  which 
in  the  past  have  proven  of  so  much  value  to  the 
apiarist,  yielding  bountiful  supplies  of  nectar,  are 
fast  giving  way  beneath  the  woodman's  axe,  and  ere 
long  will  disappear,  thus  depriving  us  of  one  great 
source  of  revenue. 

These  facts  have  led  many  of  our  most  prominent 
and  thoughtful  apiarists  to  give  this  subject  much 
careful  study  and  attention,  and  they  have  invariably 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  not  only  advan- 
tageous, but  remunerative,  to  sow  or  plant  for  bee- 
pasturage.  The  thousands  of  acres  of  now  almost 
worthless  land,  in  various  portions  of  our  country,  if 
utilized  for  this  purpose,  would  return  a  handsome 
revenue  and  thus  add  to  our  individual  and  national 
prosperity. 


168 

HONEY-PRODUCING   TREES. 

The  planting  of  honey-producing  shade  trees  such 
as  the  sycamore  maple  (Acer  pseudo-plaianus) ,  horse- 
chestnut  (^sculus  hippocasianum) ,  and  bassvvood 
{Tilia  Americana),  would  not  only  beautify  our  land- 
scape and  form  good  wind-breaks,  but  also  give  (to 
the  coming  generation  at  least)  an  additional  source 
of  revenue. 

It  is  becoming  imperative  that  we  give  this  matter 
thoughtful  study  and  test  some  of  the  best  honey 
plants,  choosing  those  best  adapted  to  the  localities  in 
which  we  reside. 

THE    BASSWOOD. 

Among  the  trees,  the  basswood  stands  first  in 
value,  and  in  fact  it  has  no  equal.  It  affords  a  luxu- 
riant shade,  and  it  is  really  a  pleasure  to  watch  the 
thousands  of  busy  workers,  flitting  to  and  fro,  sip- 
ping the  precious  nectar  from  the  well-filled  flowers, 
and  to  listen  to  the  sweet  music  of  their  busy  hum. 


THE    HORSE-CHESTNUT. 

The  horse-chestnut  is  quite  a  prominent  shade-tree 
here  in  New  England,  grows  fast,  and  yields  a  good 
quality  of  honey,  the  flow  lasting  for  ten  days  at  least. 
The  young  trees  may  be  procured  from  any  reliable 
nurseryman. 


169 

BOKHARA. 

Among  the  honey-producing  flowers  the  Bokhara 
or  sweet  clover  {Meliloius  alba)  (the  white  variety) 
ranks  first.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  find  a  locality 
in  which  it  will  not  thrive,  from  the  dry,  barren  sand 
hills  to  the  low  bog-holes  and  marshes. 

Every  apiarist  should  convert  himself  into  an  in- 
dividual seed-drill,  and  carry  about  in  his  pocket  a 
quantity  of  the  seed,  scattering  it  along  the  roadside, 
in  old  waste  pastures  and  in  fact,  in  every  out-of-the- 
way  place  which  is  now  running  to  waste. 

When  sowing  the  sweet  clover  alone,  use  five 
pounds  to  the  acre.  It  may  be  sown  broadcast  in  the 
spring  when  the  ground  is  wet  and  then  light-har- 
rowed in. 

This  plant  will  prove  a  great  boon,  especially  to 
New  England,  and  I  look  forward  to  the  time  when 
many  portions  of  our  country,  which  now  hardly  yield 
enough  to  pay  the  taxes,  may  prove  remunerative 
from  the  production  of  honey.  Many  instances 
might  be  cited  to  substantiate  this,  but  every  one  who 
has  tried  or  will  try  this  clover  seed  may  learn  this 
to  be  a  fact. 

ALSYKE   CLOVER. 

Next  in  value  comes  the  alsyke  clover  (  Trifolium 
hybridum)  a  native  of  Sweden,  which  is  both  hardy 
and  prolific,  and  produces  a  fine  quality  of  hay.  The 
honey  produced  from  it  is  unequalled  for  quality  and 
flavor  by  any  other  that  I  have  ever  seen.     When 


170 

sown  alone  it  will  take  four  pounds  to  the  acre,  but 
it  is  better  to  mix  it  with  timothy  {  P] ileum  pralense) 
or  the  common  red  clover  {TrlfoUum  ^^ra^eu.s-e)  or 
both,  using  the  usual  quantities  of  the  latter  and  two 
pounds  of  the  alsyke. 

The  timothy  and  red  clover  help  support  the  al- 
syke, and  there  is  less  danger  of  its  growing  too 
thick  and  lods^ins:. 


WHITE    ALDER. 

The  white  alder  (  Clethra  alnifolia )  is  another 
fine  and  valuable  honey  plant.  It  is  a  native  of  Mas- 
sachusetts and  is  most  generally  found  growing  be- 
tween swamp  and  upland,  spreading  freely  into 
ploughed  lands  bordering  on  its  natural  thickets.  As 
an  ornamental  plant  it  is  a  neat,  upright  growing 
shrub.  Its  leaves  are  light  green,  flowers  all  pure 
white,  in  spikes  three  to  six  inches  long.  It  blossoms 
late  and  through  a  long  season.  This  plant  is  now 
attracting  much  attention  as  a  forage  for  the  honey 
bee.  It  is  practical  to  plant  for  this  purpose  by  the 
acre.  It  transplants  safely,  and  is  propagated  very 
easily  by  suckers  and  layers ;  we  plant  it  here  until 
May  15,  and  from  October  until  December.  It  leaves 
out  late  in  spring  and  blossoms  on  plants  one  to  eight 
feet  high,  according  to  age  and  vigor  of  growth.  A 
strong  plant  in  vigorous  soil  would  make  100  plants 
in  three  years,  and  the  planter  of  1,000  can  extend 
its  culture  to  acres.  The  honey  from  this  plant  is 
almost  colorless,  heavy,  rich  and  of  a  fine  flavor. 


171 


I  am  well  acquainted  with  this  honey  plant  and  take 
great  pleasiu'e  in  pronouneiiii^  it  one  of  the  best  known 
lor  general  use. 

There  are  a  number  of  good  honey-producing 
plants,  but  I  have  enumerated  only  those  best  adapted 
to  general  cultivation  ;  and  of  those  which  I  have 
mentioned,  I  would  strongly  recommend  the  bo- 
khara  or  sweet  clover,  as  it  can  be  sown  with  little 
trouble,  and  then  resows  itself,  and  is  not  easily  killed 
out ;  also  it  continues  to  yield  honey,  during  fav- 
orable weather,  all  summer  and  until  the  late  frosts 
kill  it,  the  bees  often  leaving  the  white  clover  and 
giving  the  sweet  clover  the  preference. 

I  would  advise  every  reader  to  procure  some  of 
the  seed  and  give  it  a  thorough  trial,  remembering 
that  it  starts  best  when  it  has  been  subjected  to  at 
least  one  sood  frost. 


^  ^. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  FIGURES. 


bOrBLE-WALLED   HIVES. 

Hives  of  this  kind  are  coming  into  general  use  and  are  grow- 
ing rapidly  into  favor.  A  few  years  since  I  devised  a  double- 
walled  liive  on  a  different  principle  than  any  then  in  use. 

Most  of  those  that  have  been  used  for  the  past  twenty  years 
have  been  too  heavy  and  clumsy,  and  so  constructed  that  the 
bottom-board  and  outer  case  were  nailed  together.  An  improve- 
ment on  such  a  style  was  demanded,  and  in  view  of  this  I  con- 
structed one  after  the  following  plan  : 

The  outer  cases,  bottom-board,  brood-chamber,  and  in  fact 
each  particular  part  of  the  hive,  are  independent  of  each  other, 
nor  is  any  part  of  it  secured  to  the  bottom-board  with  nails. 
The  brood- chamber  rests  on  the  bottom-board  (B)  and  is  held  in 
place  by  the  strips  (C  and  D  )  which  are  nailed  to  it  as  seen  in 
fig.  IT. 

The  comb-honey  rack  (G),  which  contains  the  boxes  (O),  rests 
on  the  top  of  the  brood-chamber,  no  honey-board  being  used. 
The  outer  cases  (J,  L,  fig.  17)  rest  on  the  bottom-board  and 
cover  all,  thus  forming  a  complete  protection  against  the  sun, 
rain  and  severe  winter  weather. 

I  claim  that  double-walled  hives  are  indispensable  in  our 
northern  sections  especially;  and  just  as  necessary  in  summer 
as  in  winter,  as  the  bees  need  to  be  protected  and  shaded  from 
the  burning  rays  of  the  summer's  sun,  as  well  as  from  the  cold 
and  chilling  blasts  of  winter.  I  further  claim  that  there  is  no 
need  of  filling  the  space  between  the  outer  case  and  brood- 
chamber  with  any  material  whatever,  a  chaff  cushion  over  the 
bees  being  all  that  is  needed. 

An  ice-house,  however  thick  the  walls  might  be,  would  not 
preserve  the  ice  in  them,  if  a  space  is  left  open  for  the  air  to 
enter;  neither  will  a  colony  of  bees  be  thoroughly  protected 
from  the  cold  or  the  changes  in  the  weather  by  thick  walls  when 
the  entrance  is  left  open  in  the  usual  way. 

(173) 


174 


The  hive  is  so  constructed  that  a  comb-honey-rack  holding 
twenty-one  two-poinid  boxes  will  just  cover  tlie  brood-chnmber, 
and  two  of  these  nu  Us  can  i)e  used  on  one  hive  bj'  placing  one 
above  the  other,  tiius  giving  room  for  forty-two  boxes;  a 
second  story  may  be  placed  ou  the  top  of  the  brood-nest,  thus 
giving  room  for  an  extra  set  of  frames,  for  use  in  extracting  or 
obtaining  comb-honey  after  Mr.  House's  plan.  I  shall  adapt 
my  hives  for  either  purpose. 

This  hive  requires  the  least  labor  in  its  construction  of  any  in 


Fio.  17.    Outer  case  of  double-wnlled  hive. 


use.  1  use  the  standard  Langstroth  frames  with  the  exception 
that  the  top-bar  is  one  and  one-eighth  inches  instead  of  seven- 
pigiitlis  of  an  inch  wide.  1  have  used  nine  frames  to  a  hive  for 
four  years  and  find  this  number  preferable  to  ten  frames. 

For  the  convenience  of  my  readers  I  would  give  the  following 
directions  for  Its  construction. 

The  bottom-board  (B)  27^  in.  X  18|  in.  X  I  in.  mny  be  made  of 
two  or  more  pieces.  The  clamps  (A")  18|  in.  X  U  in.  X  J  in. 
should  be  nailed  on  the  under  side.  The  strips  (D)  22^  in.  X  5 
in.  X  5  in.  are  nailed  to  the  bottom-board  tifteeu-sixteeuths  of 


175 


an  inch  from  the  outer  eclge,  and  seven-eijrhths  of  an  inch  on  from 
the  buck  end,  iuid  they  should  be  so  nailed  that  the  outer  case 
will  slip  down  over  them  easily,  :\s  they  are  intended  to  keep  it 
in  place  as  well  as  the  brood-ciianiber.  The  strips  (C)  KiJ  in. 
XU  ill-  X  S  in.  are  nailed  across  the  strips  (D  )  flusli  with  the 
ends,  thus  holding  the  brood-chamber  in  place,  and  forming,  in 
connection  with  an  opening  in  the  front  of  the  brood-chamber, 
and  a  like  opening  in  tlie  front  of  the  outer  case,  an  entrance 
for  the  bees. 

The  brood-clianiber  is  composed  of  six  pieces  :  the  sides  (H) 
are  19S  in.  X  10  in.  X  h  i"- ;  the  front  (E)  is  Hi  in.  X  8i  in.  X 


Fig.  18.    Inner  case  of  double-walled  hive. 

I  in.,  and  when  nailed  is  set  down  from  the  top  edge  of  the  brood- 
chamber  nine-sixieentlis  of  an  inch.  The  back  end  14^  In.  X 
9-i3gin.  X  I  in.  is  also  set  down  nine-sixteenths  of  an  inch,  thus 
forming  a  shoulder  on  which  the  frames  may  hang.  Strips  (F) 
I5,^ij  in.  X  li  in.  X  i  in.  are  nailed  flush  with  the  top  edge  of 
the  brood-chamber  and  complete  the  rabbet  for  the  frames.  I 
have  not  as  yet  completed  the  improvements  intended  regard- 
ing the  surplus  arrangement  as  suggested  by  Mi'.  House's  article. 
The  outer  case,  bottom  section,  consists  of  four  pieces : 
the  sides  (K)  being  24  in.  X  Hi  in.  X  I  in.,  and  the  end  pieces 
(J)  16J  in.  X  Hi  in  X  J  in.,  one  of  them  having  an  entrance 
cut  in  it  H  in.  X  8  in. 


176 

The  top  section,  side  pieces  (M)  24  in.  X  65  in.  XI  in.,  the 
end  pieces  (L)  16|  in.  X  10  in.  X  I'm.,  are  bevelled  from  the 
centre  to  the  ends,  so  that  they  will  correspond  with  the  ends 
of  the  side  pieces,  thus  giving  the  roof  a  pitch  of  about  one 
and  one-half  inches.  The  roof  boards  (N)  are  26  in.  X  10  in. 
X  I'm.,  and  the  piece  (0)  to  cover  the  joint  is  26  in.  X  2  in.  X 
4  iu. 

In  nailing  up  the  hives  the  longer  pieces  are  nailed  to  the 
shorter  ones,  using  eight-penny  finish  nails  for  the  heavier  parts, 
and  smaller  nails  for  the  rest. 

The  edges  of  the  sides  (M  and  K)  of  the  outer  case  should  be 
halved  together  to  keep  out  the  rain,  etc. ;  groove  on  -^  in.  and 
T^in.  deep. 

QUEEN-REARING   HIVE, 

This  is  a  two-story  hive,  talcing  twenty-four  nucleus  combs, 
such  as  are  used  in  the  miniature  or  fertilizing  hives,  and  will 
accommodate  a  large  colony  of  bees.  I  generally  use  them  for 
queen-rearing,  and  as  they  take  the  same  size  frame  that  the 
small  hives  do,  I  find  them  much  more  convenient  for  the  pur- 
pose than  standard  hives. 

The  prepared  strips  containing  eggs  for  cell-building  are 
placed  in  frames  as  shown  in  fig.  6,  from  two  to  four  of  these 
being  used  according  to  the  size  of  the  colony,  which  are  placed 
in  the  upper  story.  I  think  it  just  as  well  to  place  them  in  the 
lower  story,  but  it  is  not  so  easy  to  get  at  them  when  you  desire 
to  examine  the  combs  to  ascertain  the  number  of  cells  being 
built  and  for  other  purposes. 

By  using  twenty-four  combs  we  give  the  bees  more  room  for 
storing  honey,  and  as  the  colonies  in  the  miniature  or  fertilizing 
hives  do  not  always  store  enough  for  their  own  use,  the  full 
combs  may  be  exchanged  for  empty  ones,  thus  saving  a  vast 
amount  of  time  and  trouble  in  supplying  such  colonies  with  food. 

If  a  colony  put  in  one  of  these  hives  be  very  large,  a  third 
story  is  supplied  with  frames  filled  with  foundation,  or  perhaps 
a  case  filled  with  sections  should  be  given  them.  Old  combs 
may  be  placed  in  the  third  story  and  the  honey  extracted  from 
them  as  well  as  from  those  in  the  second  story.  As  stated 
elsewhere,  a  colony  deprived  of  its  queen  and  brood  will  store 


177 


honey  rapidly,  there  being  no  brood  in  the  hive  to  care  for  and 
no  hatclilug  bees  to  consume  the  honey  as  it  is  gatliered. 

A  colony  in  one  of  these  hives  will  care  for  a  large  number  of 
sealed  queen-ct-lls  when  necessary.  When  I  have  two  hundred 
sealed  cells  and  wish  to  use  the  bees  which  have  just  completed 
them,  to  form  nuclei  or  for  other  purposes,  I  "  double  up"  by 
placing  all  the  cells  in  one  hive,  keeping  of  course  a  correct 
record  of  each  separate  lot,  otherwise  many  queens  would  be 
lost.  In  rearing  queens  in  these  hives  I  proceed  in  the  following 
manner :  one  hive  is  kept  queenless  for  the  purpose  of  caring  for 
cells,  and  when  one  colony  has  sealed  one  lot  of  cells  and  I  need 
the  hive  in  which  to  start  others,  the  cells  are  placed  in  the  hive 
kept  for  that  purpose ;  all  the  bees   are  then  removed  from  a 


Fig.  19.    Queen-rearing  hive. 

full  colony,  placed  in  a  swarming  box,  and  the  bees  which  have 
just  completed  the  cells  are  put  into  the  hive  from  which  the 
others  were  taken,  giving  to  them  the  old  queen. 

If  you  should  desire  to  form  nuclei  of  the  bees  and  combs 
after  the  cells  are  sealed,  proceed  thus  :  remove  all  the  cells  to 
the  hive  kept  for  that  purpose,  or  to  a  fertilizing  hive,  being 
careful  that  the  colony  has  enough  bees  to  protect  the  cells ; 
now,  if  you  have  the  fertilizing  hives  at  hand,  the  bees  and 
combs  can  be  transferred  to  them  in  a  few  moments.  First, 
prepare  the  hives  by  placing  the  screens  over  the  entrance; 
then  place  the  combs  with  adhering  bees  into  each  hive,  set 
them  away  in  a  cool  place  for  three  days,  and  at  night  on  the 
third  day,  give  to  each  a  cell  or  queen  (virgin  queens  can  be 
12 


178 

safely  Introduced  to  such  colonies)  and  one  frame  of  brood. 
After  dark  remove  the  screens  and  allow  the  bees  to  fly  on 
the  following  morning. 

To  manage  these  hives  properly  one  must  have  plenty  of  small 
combs  for  them.  I  would  advise  "  breaking  up"  colonies  in 
box-hives  to  obtain  these,  as  it  would  be  much  better  and 
cheaper  than  to  cut  up  nice  straight  combs. 

The  following  measurements  should  be  taken  into  account  in 
the  construction  of  these  hives  : 

The  bottom-board  (A)  is  2H  i»-  X  lUin.  X  i  in.  The  front 
and  back  (B)  are  20  in.  X  G  in.  X  I  in.  with  a  rabbet  on  the  in- 
side top  edges,  i\'in.  X  ^i  in.  on  which  the  frames  may  hang,  and 
also  rabbeted  on  each  inside  end,  J  in.  X  -^^  in.  to  form  shoulders 
for  the  ends  of  the  hive  ends  (C)  which  are  7  in.  X  6  in.  X  i  in. 

The  upper  or  second  story  (D)  is  constructed  the  same  as 
the  lower  or  first  story,  excepting  that  it  has  no  bottom-board. 
The  top  or  cover  (F)  which  is  made  of  one  piece  is  20i  in.  X 
8|  in.  X  i  in.,  with  two  cleats  (G)  nailed  across  it  to  prevent 
warping,  H  representing  the  aperture  over  which  the  feeder 
may  rest.     Make  an  entrance  7  in.  X  f  in.  in  the  lower  story. 

The  frames  are  composed  of  four  pieces  :  top-bars  6|  in.  X  i  in. 
X  i  in ;  bottom-bars  5i  in.  X  I  in.  X  i  in. ;  ends  45  in.  X  5  in.  X 
i  in.     The  bottom-bars  are  nailed  to  the  ends. 


MINIATURE  OR  FERTILIZING   HIVES.       (Fig.   1,  page  4). 

The  terms  miniature  and  fertilizing  hives  are  synonymous  or, 
in  other  words,  these  hives  are  alike  in  construction,  excepting 
that  while  the  miniature  hive  takes  five  frames,  the  other  takes 
but  three  or  four,  and  I  have  only  used  these  separate  terms  in 
order  to  designate  tiiem.  The  nucleus  hive,  to  contain  the  breed- 
ing queen,  should  take  five  frames  for  reasons  given  on  page  5. 

The  bottom-board  (a)  of  the  fertilizing  hive  is  8f  in.  square 
with  the  grain  of  the  wood  running  from  side  to  side;  the 
top  or  cover  is  the  same  but  has  two  clamps  nailed  on  the 
upper  side  to  prevent  it  from  warping.  The  front  and  rear  pieces 
are  64  in.  X  6  in.  and  are  rabbeted  down  from  the  upper  edge 
4  in.  and  in  from  the  inner  edge  f  in.  (the  san)e  as  are  the  queen- 
rearing  hives).     The  end  pieces  b  are  6  in.  X  7|  in. 


179 

The  miniature  hives  for  the  breeding  queens  are  constructed 
tlie  same  as  the  lertiHzin<;iuves  excepting  that  the  pieces  for  the 
front  and  back  are  8  in.  long  instead  of  6^  in.  as  in  the  former 
instance. 

CONE  FEEDER.     (Fig.  13,  page  37.) 

About  twenty  years  ago  I  obtained  my  first  feeder  of  this  kind 
from  a  man  in  New  Hampshire,  and  have  used  such  ever  since. 

The  principle  is  atmospheric;  this  feeder  holds  about  four 
ounces  (erroneously  stated  one  ounce,  on  p.  37),  a  sufficient 
quantity  to  keep  a  colony  consisting  of  about  one  pint  of  bees  at 
work  twelve  hours,  in  removing  and  storing  it.  You  will  notice 
that  it  has  a  tin  collar  (a),  at  the  small  end;  b  representing  the 
collar  separate  from  the  feeder.  After  filling  the  feeders,  place 
a  thin  piece  of  cloth  over  the  end  and  then  put  on  the  collar  to 
keep  it  in  place,  and  to  prevent  the  food  from  running  out. 
Such  feeders  are  an  almost  indispensable  article  for  feeding 
small  nuclei.  The  reader  will  notice  how  they  are  used  on  the 
hives.  The  one  inch  hole  in  the  cover  of  the  small  hive,  de- 
scribed on  page  4.  is  intended  for  the  insertion  of  this  feeder; 
and  when  the  collar  has  been  properly  put  on  and  the  feeder 
placed  in  position  (as  it  should  be)  the  rain  will  not  leak  in 
around  the  joint.  I  generally  bore  the  hole  in  the  cover  near 
the  front,  and  elevate  the  rear  end  of  the  hive  a  little,  so  that 
should  any  water  chance  to  leak  in  it  will  run  out  at  the  entrance 
and  not  back  into  the  hive. 

The  piece  of  cloth  placed  over  the  end  of  the  feeder  should 
not  project  beyond  the  collar  as  it  would  operate  the  same  as  a 
lampwick  and  be  wet  (with  the  liquid-food)  all  the  time  and  offer 
too  great  a  temptation  to  robber  bees.  Again,  the  collar  must 
be  adjusted  carefully  so  that  no  air  can  enter  the  feeder,  else  the 
syrup  would  run  out.  and  induce  robbing.  However,  when 
simple  sugar-syrup  is  used  there  is  not  much  danger  of  robbing. 


LOCKE'S  FEEDER. 

Fig.  20  represents  a  feeder  devised  for  the  purpose  of  v\inter 
feeding  and  spring  stimulating  with  either  water  or  syrup,  and 


180 

I  take  great  pleasure  in  pronouncing  it  unequalled  for  this  pur- 
pose. By  its  use  I  have  saved  fifteen  colonies  from  starving,  this 
spring,  as  they  had  eaten  out  the  honey  from  the  centre  of  the 
hive  and  were  unable  to  change  position  on  account  of  the  un- 
usually extreme  cold  weather.  I  would  recommend  it  to  the 
notice  of  my  readers. 

It  consists  of  an  entirely  new  and  original  combination  of 
principles.  It  holds  about  one  pint  of  syrup  which  is  supplied 
from  the  top  of  the  feeder  without  disturbing  either  the  bees  or 
feeder  and  taken  from  a  sponge  at  the  bottom.  After  it  is  filled 
and  the  screw-top  adjusted,  it  becomes  an  atmospheric  feeder. 
The  under  side  is  covered  with  cloth  secured  with  bees-wax 
and  rosin  rendering  it  impervious  to  moisture.  This  cloth 
forms  a  non-conductor  of  heat  and  permits  the  bees  to  cluster 


Fig.  20.    Locke's  feeder. 

under  it  atid  around  the  sponge  without  becoming  chilled. 
This  is  essential,  as  we  often  need  to  stimulate  bees  before 
we  can  examine  the  colonies  to  contract  the  brood-chamber, 
and  quite  necessary  when  we  have  severe  cold  weather  in  March, 
as  the  bees  (especially  those  wintered  on  summer  stands)  eat 
out  the  honey  in  the  centre  of  the  hives  and  perish  by  starvation 
rather  than  leave  the  brood  which  may  have  been  started,  or 
break  the  cluster.  With  this  feeder  the  bees  need  not  leave  the 
cluster  to  reach  the  food.  To  use  it,  cut  an  oblong  hole  through 
the  cloth-cover  nearly  as  long  as  the  diameter  of  the  feeder  and 
about  one  inch  wide,  crosswise  the  frames ;  this  will  give  the 
bees  a  chance  to  reach  the  food  from  five  or  six  of  the  combs. 
After  placing  the  feeder  in  position  over  the  liole,  remove  the 
screw-top,  fill  the  feeder  and  then  adjust  the  screw-top  as  speed- 
ily as  possible.  Then  cover  it  with  the  chaff  cushion.  The 
feeder  may  be  placed  upon  the  hive  in  the  fall  and  remain  all 
winter  without  detriment  to  the  bees. 


181 

For  years  there  has  been  a  demand  for  such  a  feeder  and  I  con- 
sider tins  one  sufflciontly  merltoiioiis  to  warrant  a  description 
for  the  benefit  of  my  readers. 

THE   SAVAKMIXG   BOX. 

The  box  alluded  to  on  page  8  forms  one  of  the  handiest  and 
most  useful  pieces  of  furniture  in  the  apiary,  and  every  apiarist 
should  have  one  or  more  of  them. 

They  may  be  used  for  many  purposes  other  than  to  confine 
bees  preparatory  to  cell-buildinjr,  such  as  uniting  and  transport- 
ing bees,  introducing  queens,  etc.,  which  are  mentioned  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  this  book. 

The  main  box  is  20 in.  long,  10^  in.  wide,  and  10  in.  deep,  in- 
side measure;  the  sides  are  21|  in.  long.  10  in.  wide,  J  in. 
thick  and  are  nailed  to  the  ends,  after  which  the  bottom  is 
covered  with  wire-cloth  twelve  mesh  to  the  inch,  as  coarser 
mesh  would  let  the  heads  of  the  bees  through  and  many  would 
be  killed;  besides,  there  would  be  great  danger  of  suflFocation 
as  the  bees  would  nearly  stop  the  ventilation. 

Next  nail  two  strips  12  in.  long,  2  in.  wide,  and  l^J  in.  thick 
across  the  bottom  at  the  ends  (and  crosswise  the  box),  flush 
with  the  outer  edge;  another  piece  J  in.  wide  and  i  in.  thick, 
across  the  centre  of  the  bottom  to  keep  the  wire  from  sagging 
when  bees  are  in  it.  Now  nail  some  thin  strips  between  these 
pieces  to  keep  the  wire-cloth  in  place. 

The  cover  is  made  of  five  pieces;  two  of  them  are  li  in.  wide 
by  20  in.  long,  the  other  three  pieces  are  2h  in.  wide  and  8^  in. 
long.  The  longest  pieces  are  nailed  to  the  three  short  ones, 
one  of  the  latter  is  nailed  in  the  centre.  It  is  now  covered 
with  wire-cloth  and  some  thin  strips  are  nailed  around  the  edges 
of  the  wire  to  keep  it  in  place. 

A  piece  of  heavy  tin  12  in.  long  and  1  in.  wide  is  nailed  to  the 
under  side  of  one  end,  and  one  exactly  corresponding  with  this 
is  nailed  on  the  top  edge  of  the  box  to  come  under  the  one  on 
the  cover  (the  purpose  of  this  has  been  stated  on  page  17). 

QUEKK  NUKSEKY.     (Fig.  9,  page  23.) 

The  queen  nursery  may  properly  be  ranked  among  the  essen- 
tial and  eVen  indispensable  fixtures  of  a  complete  apiary  and  no 


182 

bee-keeper  can  afford  to  do  without  it;  still  more  necessary  is  it 
if  the  apiarist  is  a  qneeii-breeder.  It  will  save  its  cost  in  one 
season  during  swarming  time  and  must  be  resorted  to  (in  the 
queen-yard)  during  a  long  spell  of  dull  weather,  or  the  worse 
than  useless  lamp-nursery  system  must  be  adopted  temporarily. 
The  latter  method  is  so  contrary  to  natural  laws  and  so  injuri- 
ous in  its  effects  that  I  consider  it  my  duty  to  condemn  it  to  say 
the  least.  I  claim  that  the  cheapest  and  simplest  imple- 
ments used  ill  the  apiary  are  the  best,  provided  they  are  properly 
constructed  and  answer  the  purpose  as  well  as  the  more  expen- 
sive ones.  The  nursery  which  I  am  about  to  describe  is  a 
good  and  convenient  one  and  answers  the  purpose  well.  I  had 
never  seen  any  other  before  I  constructed  this  one,  although  I 
had  read  descriptions  of  them  in  the  various  bee  journals. 

The  nursery  is  composed  of  a  frame  similar  to  a  standard  Lang- 
stroth  frame  and  holds  eighteen  cages.  The  cages  (fig.  10)  are 
cut  2{^  in.  long.  2i  in.  wide,  and  1  in.  thick.  A  li  in.  hole  is  made 
in  about  the  centre.  In  the  long  edge  of  the  blocks  and  f  of  an 
inch  from  the  end,  is  bored  another  hole  |  in.  in  diameter,  and  1  in. 
deep  for  the  sponge  containing  the  honey  to  feed  the  bees,  and 
as  this  hole  breaks  into  tlie  large  one,  the  bees  can  take  the  food 
from  tlie  sponge.  Another  hole  is  made  (on  the  same  edge)  in 
which  to  insert  the  ceil,  which  is  held  in  place  by  pressing  the  wax 
on  the  upper  end  against  the  wood.  I  experience  no  trouble  in 
doing  this,  but  as  some  of  ray  readers  may  find  it  difficult  to 
fosten  the  cells  in,  in  this  way,  I  would  advise  running  a  nail 
through  the  upper  edge  of  the  cage  and  through  the  top  of  the 
cell. 

These  cages  must  be  sawed  very  accurately  in  order  that  they 
may  closely  fit  in  the  frames. 


INTHODUCIXG   CAGE. 

I  have  for  several  years  used  such  a  cage  as  I  am  about  to 
describe.  I  first  found  it  necessary  to  adopt  it  when  at  one  time 
I  was  called  away  from  home  to  Italianize  a  lot  of  bees,  and 
could  spare  but  one  day  for  the  work  ;  I  therefore  made  a  cage  of 
this  kind  and  it  has  proven  so  successful,  I  will  try  and  describe 
it  so  that  auy  one  may  make  it,  although  I  am  aware  that  even 


183 


with  the  most  plain  and  simple  directions  it  may  be  difficult  for 
the  reader  to  construct  it  properly. 

Take  a  block  of  wood  3  in.  long.  2  in.  wide  and  i  in.  thick,  and 
bore  through  it  a  li  in.  hole  one-half  inch  from  one  end;  then 
take  a  knife  and  cut  the  slot  or  mortise  («)  from  the  hole  to 
the  end  of  the  cage  (or  block),  being  careful  not  to  cut  out 
more  than  enough  to  allow  the  bees  to  pass  through  after  the 
wire-cloth  is  fastened  on.  Now  cover  both  sides  with  wire- 
cloth  (as  seen  in  fig.  11)  ;  next  cut  the  piece  of  tin  (6)  li  in.  long 
and  i  in.  wide,  and  fasten  it  to  one  end  of  the  cage  by  driving  a 
wire  nail  through  the  centre  of  it  and  into  the  cage. 

This  is  adjustable  and  works  on  the  principle  of  a  button  to 
a  door;  and  when  it  is  turned  crosswise  (as  shown  in  cut) 
the  cage  will  hang  between  the  combs  and  thus  will  be  held  in 
position  and  prevented  from  falling  down  between  the  combs. 
This  cage  may  be  used  in  introducing  both  laying  and  virgin 
queens.  The  queen  should  be  put  in  through  the  mortise-hole, 
which  should  then  be  tilled  (or  plugged)  with  a  mixture  of 
sugar  and  honey  (Mr.  Good's  food  answers  this  purpose  well)  ; 
and  in  introducing,  if  the  bees  have  been  queenless  three  days, 
the  queens  will  be  kindly  received;  but  as  this  matter  is  fully 
described  on  page  26  I  will  not  further  explain  it. 


NEW  WAY  OF  HAVING  CELLS  BUILT.        (Fig.  6,  page  15). 

This  figure  represents  one  of  the  small  combs  used  in  the 
fertilizing  hives,  with  a  row  of  cells  built  by  the  bees,  and  as 
this  cut  has  not  been  sufficiently  described,  I  will  here  explain  it 
more  fully.  It  shows  the  manner  of  placing  in  position  the  pre- 
pared strip  containing  eggs  for  cell-building  ;  and  also  shows  the 
cells  after  they  are  sealed.  The  cut  shows  an  open  space  between 
the  cells;  now  the  bees  do  not  leave  them  in  exactly  that  shape, 
but  connect  them  by  a  thin  septum  or  partition  of  wax.  I  do  not 
wish  it  to  be  understood  that  they  join  the  cells  one  xcith  another, 
as,  if  they  did  so,  it  would  be  impossible  to  separate  them  without 
injury,  but  when  the  bees  are  gathering  honey  rapidly,  they 
will  cover  the  queen-cells  with  wax  often  building  cells  upon 
them  nearly  to  the  points,  filling  them  with  honey. 


184 


When  this  happens  I  usually  shave  off  the  honey  clean,  from 
both  the  cells  and  the  strip  upon  which  they  are  built,  leaving 
them  in  the  hive  until  the  bees  have  cleaned  the  honey  from  them, 
otherwise  the  operation  of  separating  the  cells  would  be  a 
sticky  one.  It  is  not  necessary  to  shave  off  the  honey  until 
a  few  hours  previous  to  separating  and  transferring  them  to 
the  nursery  or  nuclei.  It  seems  rather  a  delicate  operation  to 
place  in  position  the  "prepared  strip."  This  is  so  when  the 
comb  containing  the  eggs  is  tender,  but  you  should  avoid  as 
much  as  possible  using  new  or  tender  comb  for  this  purpose. 

When  standard  frames  are  used,  the  prepared  strip  may  be 
placed  near  the  bottom  of  the  comb  by  cutting  out  a  small  piece 
to  make  room  for  the  cells  and  thus  avoiding  the  necessity  of 
destroying  good  combs. 


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THREE  OR  SIX  MONTHS  AT  THE  SAME  RATE. 

A  Sample  Copy  of  either  sent  free  upon  application. 


The  American  Bee  Journal,  established  in  1861  as  a 
Monthly,  was,  in  1881,  also  issued  Weekly,  and  has  not 
only  fully  sustained  its  former  reputation,  but  is  always 
advancing  progressive  ideas  upon  the  various  topics  of 
Bee-culture. 

IT  IS  THE  MOST  THOROUBHLY  PRACTICAL  PUBLICATION  ON  BEES  IN  THE  WORLD. 

The  most  successful  and  experienced  bee-keepers  in 
the  world  comprise  its  corps  of  contributors. 


As  an  Advertising  Medium  it  is  Unsurpassed. 


EDITOR  AND  PROPRIETOR, 

925  WEST  MADISON  STREET,  CHICAGO,  ILL. 


THE  KANSAS  BEE-KEEPER 

ESTJ^BLISHZEX)    in^    1881. 


A  Live  Monthly  Magazine 

DEVOTED  EXCLUSIVELY  TO  BEE-CULTURE. 
TEBMS  60  CENTS  PER  YEAB. 


It  has  for  its  corps  of  regular  correspondents  and  assistant 
editors  some  of  the  most  practical  writers  and  progressive  bee- 
keepers of  the  age. 

Prominent  among  its  valuable  features  from  1883,  will  be  a 
series  of  articles  running  through  the  whole  volume,  written 
expressly  for  beginners  in  the  practice  of  the  art  of  bee-culture, 
by  J.  E.  Pond,  jr.,  of  Foxboro,  Mass.,  and  the  question  depart- 
ment, edited  by  the  well  known  specialist,  James  Heddon, 
Dowagiac,  Mich. 

THE  FIRST  AIM  OF   THK 

KANSAS   BEE-KEEPEB 

is  to  be  the  best  and  foremost  bec'paper  in  the  world,  to  the 
end  that  bee-culture  as  a  scientific  and  useful  pursuit,  may, 
through  its  agency,  more  rapidly  develop  into  one  of  the  most 
profitable  and  important  industries  of  the  globe.  H.  Scovill, 
editor,  Dr.  Wm.  R.  Howard,  Kingston,  Texas,  associate  editor. 

SCOVILL  &  ANDERSON, 

COLUMBUS,  KANSAS. 


GLEANINGS 

— :IN  :— 

BEE  CULTURE 

TERMS,  $1.00  PER  YEAR. 


Gleanings  is  a  52-page  monthly,  published  the  first 
of  each  month.  A  supplement,  Juvenile  Gleanings,  of 
16  pages,  is  published  the  middle  of  each  month,  thus 
giving  reports  semi-monthly  of  the  state  of  bee-culture 
in  almost  all  regions  of  the  globe  where  civilization 
extends. 


A  B  C  OF  BEE  CULTURE. 


A  book  of  318  pages,  and  over  175  illustrations.  This 
is  kept  standing  in  type,  and  corrected  several  times  a 
year ;  thus  when  j'ou  buy  it  you  are  sure  of  a  book  that  is 
up  with  the  times.     Price,  in  cloth,  $1.25  ;  in  paper,  $1.00. 


APIARIAN  IMPLEMENTS  AND  SUPPLIES, 


Our  customers  now  number  something  over  75,000, 
and  goods  are  shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  To  keep 
pace  with  late  improvements  and  new  inventions,  our 
price  list  is  kept  constantly  standing  in  type,  and  new 
editions  are  printed  in  the  busy  season,  frequently  as 
often  as  once  a  month.  A  sample  copy  of  Gleanings  and 
a  price  list  sent  free  on  application. 

&.   Z.   ROOT, 

jyc  E  X)  1 2sr  .A. ,       .       .      OHIO. 


THE  BEE-KEEPER'S  GUIDE; 

OR, 

MANUAL  OF  THE  APIAKY, 

By  A.  J.  COOK, 

Professor  of  Entomology  in  the 
State  Agricultural  College,  Lansing,  Michigan. 


loth  1,000 

350  Pages.    190  Beautiful  Illustrations. 


This  is  a  new  edition,  the  second  full  revision  of  Prof.  Cook's  Manual 
of  the  Ai)iary,  enlarged  and  elegantly  illustrated.  The  first  edition  of  3,000 
copies  was  exliansted  in  about  18  months,  the  first  9,000  in  six  years  — a  sale 
unprecedented  in  the  annals  of  bee-culture.  This  new  work  has  been  pro- 
duced with  great  care,  patient  study  and  persistent  research.  It  comprises 
a  full  delineation  of  the  anatomy  and  physiology  of  the  honey  bee,  illustrated 
with  many  costly  wood  engravings— the  products  of  the  Honey  Bee ;  the 
races  of  bees ;  full  descriptions  of  honey-producing  plants,  trees,  shrubs, 
etc.,  splendidly  illustrated— and  last,  though  not  least,  detailed  instructions 
for  the  various  manipulations  necessary  in  the  apiary. 

This  work  is  a  masterly  production,  and  one  that  no  bee-keeper,  however 
limited  his  means,  can  afford  to  do  without.  It  is  fully  "  up  with  the  times  " 
on  every  conceivable  subject  that  can  interest  the  apiarist.  It  is  not  only 
instructive,  but  intensely  interesting  and  thoroughly  practical— T.  6. 
Newman, 


It  is  a  credit  to  the  author  as  well  as  the  publisher.  I  have  never  yet  met 
with  a  work  either  French  or  foreign,  which  I  like  so  much.— L'Abbe  du 
Bois,  editor  of  Jiulletind'  ApicuUeur,  France. 

It  appears  to  liave  cut  the  ground  from  under  future  book-makers.- £rft- 
ish  Bee  Journal. 

Messrs.  A.  J.  Root,  L.  C.  Root,  and  Thos.  G.  Newman,  all  cay  that  it  con- 
tains mucli  not  found  in  other  books,'and  all  the  distinguished  writers  on 
bee-culture  recommend  it. 


Sent  on.  Receipt  of  Price  #1.00. 


A.  J.  COOK,  Author  and  Publisher. 


KINe,  KEITH  Sk  ^1D», 

IMPROVED    HONEY    EXTRACTOR 


Xo.  1.    -t-FKAME  Machine. 

Five  Styles  of  Two-  and  Foui-fninie  Honey  Extractors,  extracting  from 
all  frames  in  use.  and  even  small  pieces  without  frames,  complete  in  every 
RESPECT,  holding  from  30  to 225  lbs.  beloio  the  ba^liet;  also  Wax-Extractors, 
BeeHives,  Bees.  Queens.  Smokers,  Foundation  and  Machines;  Books  on 
Bees,  and  iu  fact  every  article  of  use  in  the  Apiary. 

Send  for  our  lUustrnted  Catalogue  for  \%<Z,  before  purchasing. 

KING,    KEITH    &   CO., 

Pub.  of  new  Beekeepers'  Text  Book  and  the  10  page  Bet-keepers'  Magazine, 
14  Park  Plaoe,  New  York. 


Whitman's  Fountain  Pump 


•2  I 


wilEeut  lt« 


fill 


"  "3 

S   s   ^ 


C    3    h    c 


WHITMANS  EDUHUIN  PUMR  For  "Washing  Carriages,  etc.  2'^  &'>  ^ 
Protects  Buildings  from  Fire ;  "~  ^  2  S  2 
and  Trees,  Vines,  etc.,  from  S  ^  Jj  ~  | 
Insects,     Potato  -  bugs      and  ^  '^  ■=  ~ 


Canker  "Worms 


P    to  J5    tr^     S 


Send  for  large  Illustrated   Circular. 

J.  A.  WHITMAN, 

Patentee  and  Manufacturer,  Providence,  E.  I. 


=  2  ®  tfi  =  b 
£i  3  £  =  ®  a. 


Pure  Italian  Bees  and  choice  Queens  for  breeding  purposes 
for  sale  at  all  times.     Low  prices  and  satisfaction  guaranteed. 
FINE    COMB    HONEY  A.   SPECIJ.LTT. 


If  you  want  the  Bee-Book  that  will  give  you  the  largest 
AMOUNT  OF  PRACTICAL  EXPERIENCE,  of  any  work  published,  and 

THE  BEST  BELLOWS   BEE-SMOKEK  MADE, 

SEXD  FOIi  CIRCULAR  TO 

Zi.    C.    ZIOOT,    (&   BRO., 

lyLOHLA^^WK,   NK^W   YORK. 


PKIZE  ITALIAM  QUEENS 


FOR    1883 


I  am  makinir  a  specialty  of  rearing  a  strain  of  Italian  bees 
which  shall  rank  among  the  very  highest  to  breed  from,  as  well 
as  to  produce  the  largest  amount  of  honey.  The  §10  prize 
awarded  in  1881,  for  the  best  Queen  in  six,  gave  me  four  for  last 
year's  use,  which  can  hardly  be  excelled.  I  have  now  offered  a 
§25  Prize  for  the  best  Queen  in  eight,  that  shall  equal,  or  excel 
those  I  now  have ;  for  next  summer's  use. 


For  an  8-frame  colony  with  tested  prize  Queen  $8.00 
'•    a  2-frame  Nucleus    "        "  '•  "        4.00 

"    a  4-ha)f  size    "  '•         "  "  '•        4.00 

"  a  tested  prize  Queen  sent  by  mail  .  .  .  3.00 
"  a  warranted  prize  Queen  sent  by  mail  .  2.00 
"    a  prize  Queen,  not  standard  size  or  color    .    1.00 

If  ordered  before  June  25,  add  to  each  §1.00  in  price.     Direct 

remittances  to 

E.  L.  ERIGGS, 

(Orders  filled  in  turn.)  Wiltox  Junction,  Iowa. 


PELHAM'S 

PATENT   FOUNDATION   MILLS. 


These  mills  are  made  on  an  entirely  new  principle,  and  are  destined  to 
take  the  front  rank  among  the  implements  of  the  apiary,  both  on  account  of 
their  extraordinary  cheapness  and  the  superior  quality  of  the  foundation 
made  on  them. 

Pelliara's  Mills  have  type  metal  rolls  2  inches  in  diameter,  made  of  cast 
sections,  with  grooves  for  forming  the  side  walls  which  are  \  of  an  inch 
deep. 

PeUiam's  Mills  will  raise  higher  side  walls  than  any  other  machine,  and 
the  top  of  side  wall  w  not  pressed  at  all  as  it  does  not  go  to  the  bottom  of 
groove.  '  " 

Felham's  Mills  will  make  as  thin  base  as  any  other  mill.  The  same 
mill  makes  either  thick  or  thin  foundation. 

PeDiam's  Mills  have  a  new  device  which  entirely  does  away  with  the 

trouble  of  starting  sheets  through  the  mill.     The  thick  end  of  sheet  can  be 

started  through  the  rolls  instantly;  no  stopping  to  pick  the  end  off  the  rolls. 

CIRCULARS  AXD  SAMPLES  FREE. 

^W.   C.  PELHAM. 

MAYSVILLE,  KY. 


Comb-Foundalion,  Wholesale  and  Retail. 

Bro.  Bek-keepkrs  :  I  have  ordered  two  new  mills  of  Mrs. 
Dunham,  and  am  ready  to  fill  orders  for  any  size  and  quantity  of 
the  finest  Comb-Foviiidation. 

Please  send  your  orders  early,  secure  your  foundation  and 
avoid  delays  in  the  busy  season. 

I  will  pay  Thirty  cents  per  lb.  for  piire  clean  Wax 
delivered  at  oitr  Rail  Road  Station.  The  shipper  must  put  his 
name  on  each  package. 

Those  sending  Wax  to  be  worked  up  will  have  one-half  the 
amount  returned  in  foundation  :  the  person  sending  the  Wax  to 
pay  freight  charges  both  ways. 

If  you  will  give  me  a  trial  I  will  endeavor  to  please  you. 
All  orders  will  receive  prompt  attention  and  no  delays  will 
occur  which  I  can  prevent. 

Satisfaction  Gruaranteed.  or  iMoney-  rerianded. 
SEND   FOR    SAMPLES. 


Pm€E  MST  QF  FQW^m^TiQM. 

Heavy. 

Medium. 

Extra  Light. 

4  to  6  feet  per  lb.       6  to  8  feet  per  lb. 

10  to  12  feet  per  lb. 

By  Mail  boxed  $0.90              $0.95 

$1,00 

BY  FREIGHT  OR  EXPRESS. 

1  to    10  lbs. 

0.45                  0.65 

0.65 

10  •'    25    " 

0.43                  0.53 

0.63 

25  "     50    " 

0.41                  0.51 

0.61 

60  "   100    « 

0.40                  0.50 

0.60 

jject  to  fluctuation  in  price  of  wax. 

I»artles  "wlslilner  to  puretiase  largre  quan titles, 
send  for  "w^liolesale  prices. 

■wnyc.  T.A.iri_.o:E^, 

Sinclair,     ^organ     po.,    Jll. 


I.  Tt.   C3-OOID, 

Nappanee,  Elkhart  Co.,  Indiana, 

|(t8ler  in  l((0la  ^aiid  anil  )(talian  ^mtp  and  ''^m, 

-:  J^  Xj  S  O  ,  :- 

Manufacturer  of  Given  Comb-foundation. 


OuEEN   Rearing   a    Specialty. 

THE     DIFFERENT     RACES    ARE     KEPT    IN    SEPARATE    APIARIES. 
OVER    100    COLONIES    IN    THE    HOLY    LAND    APIARY. 

HIGHEST  PRICE  PAID  FOR  PURE  BEES-WAX. 
S£J^&  res  ^sigjs  List, 

SEED  FOR  THE 

^arm,  dlarhu,  falirn  ml  Consfrbatorjr 

ARE  SOLD  AT  GROWERS'  PRICES  AT  THE 

MOHAWK  VALLEY  SEED  GARDENS, 

Great  inducements  are  offered  in  Nellis'  Garden  and 
Floral  Instructor  to  all  persons  requiring  seed  and  also 
much  useful  information.  A  trial  packet  of  choice  seed 
for  a  three-cent  stamp,  and  Garden  and  Floral  Instructor  free. 

JLX)X)iaESS 

A..    G.    ISTEHiLZS, 

CANAJOHARIE,  N.  Y. 


UNSOLICITED    TESTIMONIALS. 


Nothing  is  better Your  foundation  suits  exactly.— C.  F.  Muth,  Cin- 
cinnati. O.,  Oct.  23. 1883. 

Tlie  finest  and  brightest  I  ever  saw.— Green  R.  Shirer,  Adamsville,  O., 
March,  ISSi. 

Thanks  for  promptness  and  the  splendid  article  sent.— C.  McRay,  Canon 
City.  Colo.,  June  6,  1882. 

Fully  equal  to  sample;  thanks  for  your  promptness.- D.  S.  Kalley,  Mans- 
field, Ind.,  June  U.  1882. 

Best  I  have  used,  no  breaking  down,  bees  take  it  readily.— W.  B.  Spence, 
Sidney,  O.,  Aug.  31, 1882. 

I  like  it  better  than  any  offered  by  dealers.— C.  H.  Lake,  Baltimore,  Md., 
Jan.  24.  1882. 

It  is  the  nicest  1  have  used.— D.  Keyes,  Louisville.  Ky.,  June  20. 1882. 

It  is  the  best  I  ever  saw.— Geo.  VVustum,  Racine,  Wis,,  July  19,  1882. 

Willing  to  pay  2  cents  more  per  pound  than  for  any  I  have  seen.  F.  Wil- 
cox, Mauston,  Wis.,  March  23,  1882. 

The  most  perfect  article  that  I  have  seen.— G.  W.  Deniaree,  Christians- 
burg.  Ky. 

Very  well  satisfied,  bees  worked  on  it  fine.— Wm.  Bloom,  Avon,  Mo. 

Have  used  about  75  pounds  from but  I  prefer  yours.— W.  Ballantine, 

Sago,  Muskingum  Co..  O. 

Your  foundation  is  the  best— J.  W.  Porter,  Charlottesville,  Va.,  March  25, 
1882. 

The  nicest  I  ever  received.— H.  W.  Funk,  Bloomington,  III. 

Your  foundation  beats  them  all.  Bees  draw  it  out  faster.— Jos.  Crowden, 
Remington,  Ind. 

Ahead  of  any  foundation  maker  in  the  world.— G.  M.  Doolittle,  Borodino, 
N.  Y. 

I  concluded  to  send  to  you,  even  if  express  is  higher.— D.  P.  Norton, 
Council  Grove,  Kans. 

I  never  saw  any  nicer.    G,  Tisdale,  Westfleld,  N.  Y.,  March  31.  1882. 

Better  than  any  I  have  ever  h.id.— J.  B.  Mason,  Slechanics'  Falls,  Me. 


We  are  moulding  from  a  new  set  of  machinery,  made  ex|)re8slv  for 
us.  But,  friends,  remember  that,  to  fill  all  the  orders,  WE  NEED  "WAX, 
and  if  you  have  some,  please  write  ua.    We  pay  a  higli  price  for  it. 

Send  for  our  retail  or  wholesiile  circular,  witli  samples  free.  We  sell, 
also,  Colonies,  Queens  and  Supplies. 

CHAS.    DADANT   &    SON, 

H^^MULTOlSr,    HANCOCK    CO.,    ILIL.. 


mmm  mmm^mmmwmmB'  mKQm&M^m^ 


A  Monthly  Journal  of  32  pages  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
bee-keepers.  No  progressive  bee-keeper  should  be  without  it, 
every  number  is  worth  the  price  of  a  year's  subscription. 

Price  $1.00  per  annum  — or  threo  months  on  trial  for  25  cts, 

Address    HOXJCIt    «fc    I»EET, 

OANAJOHAKIE,  N.  Y. 


Seed  Grower,  Milford,  Conn., 


KSXABLISHEr)    ZN-    1850. 


The  Best  Seeds  in  America, 
for  market  gardeners  and  others. 

BEE  FEED  SEEDS 

BOKHARA  (white)  ALSYKE 

and  WHITE  Clovers. 

GRASS  SEEDS 

Timotliy,    Clover,    Flax,    Hvuigarian, 
IVIillet,  Red  Top, 

Slue  Grass.         IL.a-\vii  Orass,         Oroliard.  Grass, 
Bird.  Seeds,  «fec. 

i^  o  IP   c  o  la  isT  . 

0:mee:  IIS  S^nzle  St., 

WAREHOUSES:  ALBEKT  DICKINSON, 

115,  117  &  119  Kinzie  St.  Seed  Merchant, 

104,  106,  108  &  110  Michigan  St.  CHICAGO,  ILL. 


Br^eder^of  j3i\iGHT  Italian  Queens. 

SEND   FOR,    CZRCXJ1L.A.-R. 
MORTONSVILLE,  WOODFORD  COUNTY,  KENTUCKY. 

BEE-KEEPEI?.S 


Who  need  Eclipse,  New  American,  Liingstroth  or  Siniplicitj-  bee-hives, 
complete,  or  ready  to  nail.  Honey  extractors.  Comb  foundation,  Smokers, 
bee  veils,  hive  openers,  Alsyke  clover  seed,  etc.,  should  send  lor  my  descrip- 
tive circular  mailed  free. 

A-ddress,       F.    A..    S  N"  E  L  L  , 

Milledgeville,  Carroll  Co.,  111. 

300  ooLonsriES 

OF  BEES  IN  SIMPLICITY  HIVES  FOR  SALE  CHEAP. 


Also  Hives,  Queens,  Comb-foundation  made  on  Given's  Press,  Smokers, 
and  everything  a  live  bee-keeper  needs.    Send  for  a  circular  to 

Box  819,  Belleville,  St.  Clair  Co.,  III. 

rr^LIAN^,  CYPRIAN-  and  HOLY  LAND  BEES, 

QUEENS    AISTD    APIARIAN   SUPPLIES. 

H.   H.   BROWN, 

LOWS  RELIABLE  VEGETABLE  SEEDS. 

RaiHuff  Xew  Varieties  a  SpeciitUij.  As  the  Originator  and  first  introducer 
of  the  Essex  Hybrid  Squash  and  Essex  Hybrid  Tomato  (without  excep- 
tion the  ^e.st  r«;'te^(es  in  cultivation).  1  invite  rt/i  wlio  want  Seed  Pure  and 
True  to  send  to  lieadquarters.  ^Zi  .seeiHiy  the /^im/k/ son  I  Free  of  Postage. 
Seed  to  yfarket  Gardeners,  who  buy  in  quantitw  ^^  S/n-riiil  Hates.  SeedPo- 
tatoes,  Choice  Cabbage  and  Onion  Seed  Specialties.  Hkautikully 
Illustuatku  Catalogue  sent  Fkee  to  All.  AARON  LOW,  Seeds- 
man, Essex,  Essex  Co.,  Mass. 


CLETHRA  ALNIFOLIA  OR  WHITE  ALDER. 

This  shvub  h;i8  attrncted  much  notice  as  a  forape  for  the  honey  bee,  is 
higlily  rci'omnienileii  l)y  eniiiiont  bee-keepers,  bloonin  IVoni  July  \>t  to 
Sept.";  the  honey  IVoin  it"is  nearly  white,  thick  and  of  fine  flavor,  gi-ows 
in  any  r^oil  ami  is  hi;;lily  (ini:iniei)tal. 

Send  for  our  Illustrated  Catalogue  with  full  description  of  Clethra, 
prices  and  descriiHion  ol  General  Nursery  Stock,  grown  on  our  own 

f rounds;    Souhegan  BIk.    Cap   Raspberry,    Shrubs,   Shade   trees, 
jvergreens  and  Herbaceous  Plants  specialties. 

JACOB    V/.    MANNING, 
Proprietor    ^ectdlng    JSTuLTsery , 

— :  F  o  K :— 

Early  Italian  AND  Cyprian  Queens, 

IMPORTED  AND  HOMEBRED  NUCLEI  AND  FULL  COLONIES. 


For  quality  and  purity,  mv  stock  of  bees  cannot  be  excelled.  I  make  a 
specialty  of  manufacturing  "the  Dunham  ami  Vandervort  foundations  from 
purt  bees  wax.  If  you  wish  to  purchase  Bees  or  supplies,  send  for  my 
new  circular. 

Address,    33r.    J.    F.    H  .    B  R  O  ^W  N  , 
AUGUSTA,   GEORGIA. 


Excelsior    Poultry    Yards 
j.  t.  fletcher, 

PROPRIETOR,   WEST  MONTEREY,   PA. 

^xtttitx  of  pure  hxtb  IPouItrg  anb  Italian  '§m, 


I   am    also   connected   with   the    Printing   Business, 
and  with  a 

and  complete  outfit  of  new  t3'pe,  fixtures  and  presses,  we 
solicit  the  patronage  of  the  public  in  all  styles  and 
sizes  of  Posters,  Hand  Bills  and  Job  Printing. 


WITH  NEATNESS  AND  AT  PRICES  LOW  FOR  CASH. 


JOHN  D.  KNOX  &  CO., 
Bankers    and    Loan    Agents, 

No.  202  Kansas  Avenue,       -       Topeka,  Kansas. 


^  ^m^mKdiL,  Ban^ms^Q  WwssjvBsa  T'Ea^sa(ST'B&» 


EXCHANGE  BOUGHT  AND  SOLD. 


Municipal  Bonds  Bought  and  Sold.     Special  Attention  given  to 
Collections,  and  Eemitled  for  on  day  of  payment. 


INTEREST  PAID  ON  TIME  DEPOSITS. 

We  issue  certificates  of  deposit,  bearing  the  following  rates : 

6  mouths,      ...        4  per  cent,  per  annum. 
12  months,        ...     6  per  cent,  per  annum. 


MONET  LOANED  FOR  INVESTORS. 

On  First  Afortgage,  at  6  to  8  per  cent.,  on  real  estate  worth  at  least  three 
times  the  amount  of  the  loan.  Interest  payable  semi-annually.  Interest 
and  principal  remitted  free  of  exchange. 

Correspondence  solicited  from  guardians  of  trust  funds,  banks  and 
bankers,  savings  associations,  and  others  desiring  safe  investments  with 
liberal  rates  of  interest. 

All  letters  of  inquiry  answered  promptly,  and  references  given.  Any 
person  having  money  to  invest  for  himself  or  others,  whether  the  amount 
is  great  or  small,  is  invited  to  correspond  with  us.  Safe  investments,  with 
a  profitable  and  regular  income  to  tlie  lender,  can  be  secured  through  us. 

We  should  be  pleased  to  correspond  with  parties  contemplating  real- 
estate  investments  or  immigration  to  the  State,  and  trust  our  readers  will 
feel  no  hesitation  in  addressing  us  for  any  regular  information.  Having 
been  in  Kansas  for  sixteen  years,  and  travelled  extensively  throughout  the 
State,  we  have  had  opportunities  of  becoming  well  informed  as  to  the  com- 
parative advantages  of  its  various  sections. 

Send  for  a  free  copy  of  Knox's  Investor's  Guide. 

JOHN  D.  KNOX  &  CO.,  Topeka,  Kan. 
FeraosB  viiitiss  Sutsas  asd  Topelu  are  eordiaU7  i&vitsl  to  call  on  ai. 


B  .A.  I?,  nsr  E  s ' 

PATENT  FOOT  &  STEAM  POWER  MACHINERY. 

Complete  outfits  for  Actual  "Workshop  Business :  Xiathes  for  Wood 

or  Metal,  Circular  Saws,  Scroll  Saws,  Formers, 

Mortisers,  Tenoners,  eto.  etc. 

3yLA.CIIIN"ES    OlSr    TIiIA.IL.    IF    DESIRED. 


The  "  Combined  Machine"  shown  by  tliis  cut  is  especially  adapted  to  the 
tises  of  Bee-keepers,  and  it  seive.s  tlieir  pnvpoi-es  coni))leti'ly.  We  give  an 
extract  from  a  letter  that  is  descriptive  of  its  use,  and  it  is  a  fair  sample  of 
many  such  sent  us  by  those  using  this  machine. 

Mr.  J.  I.  Parent  of  Charlton,  N.  Y.,  says:  "  We  cut  out  with  one  of  your 
"Combined  Machines"  last  winter  50  chaff  hives  with  7  in.  cap.  100  honey 
racks,  500  brood  frames,  2000  honey  boxes  and  a  great  deal  of  other  work. 
We  have  double  the  amount  to  dothis  season  and  expect  to  do  it  with  this 
machine.    It  will  do  all  you  represent  every  time." 

Send  for  catalogue  and  full  description.    Address 

W.    F.   &   JOHN    BARNES, 

]Vo.   2310   M:ain   IBtreet,  Kocliford.,  111. 


THE  ONLY  PERFECT   STIMULATIVE  FEEDER  EXTANT. 


It  is  constructeil  upon  an  entirely  new  and  original  combination  of  prin- 
ciples : —  1.  It  can  be  put  on  tlie  frames  vear  the  brood-nest.  2.  Tlie  food  is 
made  very  accessible  to  the  bees,  and  the  feeder  can  be  easily  filled  from  tlie 
outside,  and  this  without  either  removing  it  or  disturbing  the  bees.  8.  Tlie 
bees  can  cluster  directly  under  it  and  around  the  sponge,  from  which  they 
take  the  foodandit  does  not  permit  any  escape  of  ftea<  from  the  cluster.  4.  It 
is  ao  compact  in  shape  that  it  can  be  useil  on  a  small  nucleus  or  over  a  hole 
in  the  honey-board,  or  cloth-cover,  if  desire*!.  5.  It  is  flat  enough  to  rest  un- 
der the  cusliion  and  not  interfere  with  tucking  in  closely.  0.  It  is  adapted 
to  feeding  roater  or  syrup  in  either  spring,  fall,  summer  or  winter,  so  placiug 
it  that  the  bees  will  keep  the  food  warm  until  it  is  consumed. 

Read  what  the  following  most  prominent  apiarists  say  regarding  it: 

I  have  tested  your/e«rfer  "  to  my  entire  satisfaction,  and  for  supplying  the 
bees  with  water  or  food  during  winter,  and  stimulative  feeding  at  any  time, 
spring  or  fall ;  it  stands  today  unequalled  by  any  I  have  seen. 

Geo.  W.  Housb,  Fayetteville,  N.  Y. 
Friend  Locke:— I  regard  your  feeder  the  best  early  spring  feeder  that  I 
have  seen.  Yours  truly,  D.  D.  Maksh. 

Georgetown,  Mass. 

Price  by  Mail,  50  ots-  each.   By  Express,  six,  $2.00 ;  twelve,  $3.50. 
A^ddress,  SILA.S    Mi.    I^OCKE, 

S^LEM,    JMASS. 


t  Sahm  Ir^ss 


ESTABLISHED  IN   1868  TO  DO 

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The  Salem  Press,  at  Salem,  Mass.,  is  a  thoroughly  equipped  printing 
and  binding  establishment  for  all  kinds  of  high-grade  job,  pamphlet,  and 
book  work. 

Scientific  Work,  including  reports  of  meetings,  proceedings  of  associ- 
ations, lectures,  and  books,  is  our  specialty;  and  for  this  kind  of  work  our 
facilities  are  unexcelled.  The  imprint  of  '•  The  Salem  Press"  will  be  found 
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American  Association  for  Advancement  of  Science,  the  Lyceum  Natural 
History,  and  other  kindred  institutions,  all  of  whom  have,  since  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Press,  been  its  extensive  patrons.  We  would  also  refer  to 
the  work  in  tlie  present  volume,  which  bears  our  imprint. 

CoRRESroNDENCE  SOLICITED  With  all  peisons,  in  any  part  of  the  United 
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reading, and  care  to  be  taken  in  the  presswork. 

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THE    SA^I^Eai    PRESS, 

GEORGE  A.  BATES,  Man.<ger.  SALEM,  MASS. 


